A New Kind of Skill Set
by YaDingus
Summary: Striking off on his own Naruto thought he could follow in Jiraiya's footsteps and travel around after the end of the war. His first mistake was winding up at Hakoniwa Academy out of sheer curiosity. His second mistake was acting like himself around Kurokami Medaka. The third? Deciding to stay in the area and ultimately getting swept up in the craziness of the Abnormals.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Naruto and Medaka Box belong to their own respective creators.

* * *

Chapter 1:

* * *

Well…this was the place.

Japan.

…he wasn't that impressed.

For one thing it was too loud. Very pungent too. Nothing like the fresh Konoha air he was used to. It kinda hurt his nose. Even so high up on top of this incredibly tall building. But…Uzumaki Naruto figured he wouldn't be here _too_ long. Not like something would come up that force him into staying longer than he planned. Besides! It was vacation time! Something the blond-haired, blue-eyed shinobi never thought would be forced upon him.

Save the world, get some time off. Tsunade all but forced it down his throat (literally) when he refused the slip giving around three months time free from missions and being on call…but to tell you the truth, Naruto was also told he could stay away for about as long as he wanted. Considering he never before used any of it, the days kept just adding up. Pretty much all of the village decided he deserved to rest his weary body and spirit for all the good he did for his fellow residents. Although considering his newest celebrity status…it was quickly decided he needed to get away from Konoha for the time being and let all the hype and glory hounds after his, well, _everything_ to lose its luster. So the woman scribbled off he could travel the world as Jiraiya did, gathering outside experience up until he either returned himself because he was bored (highly likely) or something he couldn't ignore popped up (not as likely but still viable).

Naruto decided to follow the small advice written on the last page of Jiraiya's _Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi_ scrawled in there sometime before he was ever given the book. It appeared to be some sort of plan by his former mentor, to come here when they got the chance. It seemed like the Sannin planned the event for one of the blond's birthdays and was going to use his novel as a way to get him interested. Since the three year training trip was out of the question then the deceased toad sage figured they could wing it at some other point.

Now was as good a time as any.

But once he arrived it was almost disconcerting when the blond discovered the entire city was awash in negativity. Not dangerous, murderous intent...but there was a lot of anger and disgust bubbling below the surface. And the power levels! Sage Mode allowed him to feel out that there was a fair share of people out here who surpassed the base level of a civilian by a wide margin. He was stronger of course...but the fact that each and every one of them felt similar to a jounin or above worried the jinchuriki somewhat. Naruto was here to try and relax but it wouldn't hurt to stop any surprises from falling into his lap. So far he'd been left alone as well so that was a blessing. There'd been enough fighting back in the war.

Naruto's luck was godly in gambling but shit in everything else. At least now he was aware and could prepare if one of them sensed the jinchuriki right back and decided to attack.

Sitting atop an incredibly tall building with nature chakra running through his veins, the Ashura reincarnation sat along the edge of the roof, golden irises peering out along the skyline as the weight of the mysterious powers pinged against his awareness. They were literally all over the place, with a strong concentration to his south he couldn't stop focusing in on-

"Holy shit!"

A frenzy of killer intent slammed into his senses like a freight train. It felt as though someone wanted to literally rip some poor sap to shreds and utterly destroy them. And...it was coming directly from the south where his mind kept wandering to. Yup. Right in the exact same area as the convergence of powerful energies.

...interesting.

Being the curious little teenager he was, Kurama's jinchuriki figured it wouldn't hurt to go and scope out the competition. He could totally handle whatever these superpowers could throw at him. If the boy could take out a psychopathic super zombie, an Uchiha madman with the power of a primordial god, a vengeful 'tree' that literally was the reason everyone in the Elemental Nations possessed chakra, the woman who started it all with her covetous nature...and his demented best friend with a diabolical endgame, then he could weather this unknown storm.

Besides…he wasn't really going for a fight.

It wasn't like _everything_ in the world was out to get him, right?

* * *

Damn that girl…seriously, Hitoyoshi Zenkichi doubted himself for joining the Student Council under the guidance of his oldest friend. He liked his appearance the way it was with spiky blond hair longer near the ears, dark blue eyes, thin but in good shape, and clad in an alternate version of his school's male uniform variant: a black jacket with yellow trim instead of white, a red tie, a green armband around the left bicep to signal his status as the General Affairs Manager, white undershirt, black pants, and black loafers. His fear stemmed from watching that terrifying beast of a dog slumbering only a few feet away from his own spot, making him feel incredibly exposed out in the open. The letter in his hand showed a cute little doodle of a happy puppy frolicking in a field.

This was _not_ a happy little puppy.

Thinking critically to himself, Zenkichi couldn't help but the curse the entire set of circumstances that lead him to trying to capture a dangerous monster mistaken for something found naturally in the world. Thanks to that container, the Student Council request box set up by the President to aid her school, a girl had put in a plea for help towards finding her poor doggy that went missing on campus during the last semester. Well…he found it alright, and the 'poor doggy' looked like it was surviving just fine.

It was a Borzoi, a Russian wolfhound with a tapered body and pointed snout that came up past Zenkichi's waist when standing on all fours. Fur colored a light tannish-white covered the canine, except for its brown droopy ears and a pattern along its neck and skull. Oh, and its face and paws were littered with big ol' scars the blond figured probably weren't there back when the dog lived with its owner. Its bark sounded like a noise from hell too. Fact: Hitoyoshi was petrified of having to go anywhere near such a creature because it would most likely eat him alive.

But he'd do it…because Medaka-chan requested he finish the job for her sake.

Kurokami Medaka, freshman Student Council President of Hakoniwa Academy and Hitoyoshi Zenkichi's closest friend since they were two years old. They were always together, though more often than not it was the girl leading while Zenkichi reluctantly brought up the rear. Even when the first-year attempted to pull away over multiple occasions it was no surprise he'd eventually find his way back to Medaka's side. It was just…he cared for her. And because of their proximity, the boy was literally the one person who could say he knew her the best. Even though others had challenged his spot countless times to try and woo her away (or even try and take Zenkichi instead) for their own gain. But she shot them all down.

Medaka, you see…was special. No, she was more than that. The Kurokami daughter was superhuman and made the impossible very, very possible. In everything. Physical activities. Mental exercises. Games. Advice. Music. Trivia. You name it and she would have it mastered or knew enough about the subject to be considered advanced even more so than somebody who had studied or practiced the art for decades. Hell, even love wasn't a subject out of her reach. That girl loved everybody. And Zenkichi meant _everybody_. Friend or foe, young or old, and everything in between. Medaka's love was so overflowing it couldn't be contained to only one single person and that in turn made her shower it upon everybody instead.

She had always been like this, for nearly as long as he remembered.

Because of who she was Medaka did the unfeasible (yet again) and became the 98th president by winning nearly one-hundred percent of the vote after running for office despite only being an incoming freshman unknown to the student body. Her passion for helping others culminated first in the uniform color change to signify the council was there to provide a service, the background black to everyone's forefront white, followed by bringing up something the woman labeled as a suggestion box. Open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, three-hundred sixty-five days a year, its purpose was to better both the academy and those who came there to learn. Have a problem? Leave them a message and they would fix it. Know of a way to improve something? The StuCo would see it through to the end.

They were lucky no one had thought to put any perverted notions in the box yet. Medaka's approval or not, Zenkichi would have _destroyed _the poor fool who thought to take advantage of his friend's kindness.

There was also just…a bit of a problem with Medaka's abnormal abilities. While it did indeed make her incredibly popular and adored by plenty, it was also a double-edged sword that alienated her from the ordinary masses. Zenkichi was lucky; had he not befriended her at such a young age the blue-eyed boy would have just been another statistic and therefore would never have gained immunity to her quirkiness. Sure, even after all these years she did crazy shit and it left him in awe but at the most he'd get over it as just something Medaka could do. Others were less tactful, often calling her a freak or something else if they were mean enough. The girl just took it in stride; her bountiful affection also made her unconditionally accept even the worst faults of mankind.

Anyways, after the election his friend was the lone member of the Student Council. Zenkichi vehemently denied ever joining to another one of his friends made after the first day of school but in the end it barely took much effort for Medaka to recruit him into the General Affairs post. It helped explain why he was now working to fulfill a girl's request for locating a dear pet…but not why his best buddy wasn't there to cheer him on.

You see…Kurokami Medaka possessed both an extraordinary personality as well as an extraordinary presence. Animals could only pick up on the second half though, effectively turning her into a natural creature repellant due to her utterly petrifying aura. Imagine a common fifteen-year old female, but behind her was an overbearing demonic visage ready to torture your very being and swallow your insignificant soul at a moment's notice. That's what an animal sensed whenever they got near the girl.

It always broke Medaka's heart whenever yet another one sprinted from her like she was the devil herself.

Zenkichi looked down at the tiny butterfly net he figured would easily catch a miniscule puppy, before glancing up at the damn thing as big as a horse lying off in the sun. This wasn't so bad…right? He was doing it for Medaka, for Medaka, for Medaka…

With a war cry the blond rushed forward ready to swing the pole and complete his task. As long as he was quick enough, he could probably cover the dog's face or something and then wrestle it into submission. Yeah. Yeah! That'd work! Almost there! Here goes! Except the canine's eye snapped open the moment the General Affairs Manager started screaming and it leapt to its feet far faster than expected.

Then the monster jumped.

Zenkichi would have swore the dog's slobbering maw opened far wider than expected of a mammal's jaw right before the struggle to survive began. There were teeth, and claws, and hair, and pain, and through it all his escape attempts and cries for help were ignored by the one other person in attendance to the first-year's agony. A young girl in the normal white version of Hakoniwa's clothing, with a sky blue pleated skirt, similar colored thigh highs, and the addition of a simple set of white wristbands. Though she looked as if she was a mere grade schooler, Shiranui Hansode was much older than her appearance suggested.

The little loli was laughing uproariously as she used her cell phone to record the events of her friend's slaughter. The thick ahoge strand poking out from the top of her head wiggled as Shiranui continued to do nothing supportive, even as he finally dragged himself away from the savage animal and hoped it wouldn't hunt him down. It didn't, thank god. Chasing after Zenkichi as he fled, she eventually ran a hand through her short cheek-length blue hair while sapphire eyes took in his battered and wounded form panting against one of the building walls dotting the school's massive grounds.

"Ouch. You don't look so good Hitoyoshi."

"Shut. Up." he growled, throwing down the remains of his net in anger. "Why didn't you help me!?"

"What could I do? I'm just a frail little girl. I'm nothing like the Princess." she said while motioning towards her underdeveloped body. Oh yes, it was nothing like Medaka's.

"Whatever! Arg! This fucking hurts!"

Shiranui started to laugh, a loud and boisterous tune before she spun over to the bloody male and pulled out a roll of bandages from behind her back. Zenkichi paused, a few soft but strangled noises escaping from his mouth as the bluenette looked up at him with a sly smirk. "Is this a good apology?"

Seconds of silence passed before he quickly matched her with a wide yet exasperated grin. The blond should have known she'd do something like this. It was so totally Shiranui to be a devious little bugger, unwilling to help with the heavy lifting but still prepared enough when all was said and done. "Fine, but you're helping me put them on."

"Of course! What're friends for, idiot?"

As he dropped to the grass Hitoyoshi never noticed as her wide eyes narrowed and shone with a rare, dull gleam not normally used by the happy teen. It was gone in a flash though as Hansode exuberantly wrapped a handful of the white linen around his brow and blinded him, all the while giggling that maybe a mummy would have better luck capturing their target. They traded talk back and forth until all the StuCo member's wounds were dressed and they walked off to recoup and go at it another day.

Never once did either of the freshman see a yellow-haired boy in showy orange watching curiously from atop of the structure before turning and hopping away.

Naruto was a bit surprised that the negativity he felt came from a big dog of all things, as huge as Akamaru and similar in color. The shinobi had popped in with a bright flash of gold, only to see a fellow blond and a midget running away from the canine tensed for battle just after the two halves had clashed. What the hell were they trying to do? Was it a stray? It had to be an intelligent sonofabitch like the ninken back home if it could properly feel such a crazy amount of rage and focus it on a target. Normal animals were instinctual and without any higher brain functions to understand the emotion...you could see where that was going.

Falling to ground level, the most his landing got from the animal was a slight twitch of an ear. Other than that it continued to try and catch some sleep in what Naruto would really admit was a nice little grassy alley even filled with wildflowers. This was a pretty damn peaceful spot. In fact, from what he saw upon entry, there was a large amount of open land around here surrounding all the buildings. Bordered by forests on pretty much all sides (awesome) it seemed like a nice little spot to hang out at.

"Uh, hey." Kurama's human container began with a hand raised in greeting. The beast cracked an eye open at that, analyzing Naruto who gave a small smile. "How's it going?" The dog growled, jowls quivering from the dangerous tone it released. Naruto quickly held up his hands in a non-threatening manner and shook his head in nervousness. "Whoa, calm down there! I'm not gonna…do whatever those other two were doing! I'm just visiting!"

The dog lowered its head but continued to eye him critically. Another rumble was issued and the jinchuriki could have sworn it was a question. One he had no idea how to answer.

"Um…you're a smart one, aintcha? You actually remind me of another dog I know, named Akamaru by the way, who's a really strong dog and the partner of one of my friends. The two fight side by side and have been together...I think since Akamaru was born, at least over five years ago. Hell, I think in a few more he'll be able to talk like the other ninja dogs from my village. Ha! Kiba won't be the only one able to understand him now."

Another growl.

"…if I understood that, which I didn't really, you want to know more?"

Growl.

Naruto blinked as the dog's shaggy tail slapped the ground near it. "You want me to…join you?"

The Borzoi chuffed before sighing and rolling onto its side.

"Okay, yeah. I wouldn't mind relaxing for awhile." As the ninja walked over he pulled the strap of his large scroll off his shoulder and rested it up against the nearby wall. Rolling his neck the blond sat down next to the breathing pile of fur and idly scratched its side _without_ being mauled in any way. "I guess I could start with some of the things Akamaru and Kiba can do. There's this one move called the Gatsuuga (Fang Passing Fang) where…"

It was strange but for two hours Naruto simply sat there talking to a dog. Her spoke of the Inuzuka clan's stable of canines and when his knowledge on that began to lag he switched over to Kakashi's diverse summons. The one at his side listened with one ear propped up to listen, allowing him to scratch its sides and head as humans seemed unable to resist doing to their kind. This one didn't seem so bad, just like its owner Urushi, and even had examples of why its four-legged species was superior to others. The Borzoi hadn't originally meant to run away from the girl but as a puppy it just didn't know any better. The world was new and there were so many interesting smells and sounds that it had trot off when she first brought him to Hakoniwa during some kind of festival. A whole semester of living on campus and fighting to survive against wild creatures as its ancestors did after the innocence wore off opened the dog's eyes and made it into what it was today:

A strong and Alpha canine.

That other boy and the small female from before were trying to dominate the animal. That was a big no-no. Had it any fingers the dog would've wagged it in disappointment. This one though knew to submit itself in a soothing manner without attempting to throw his weight around. Or the human was scared of it. That's good. Its kind was bred to hunt down wolves. It was only proper to feel that.

As darkness began to fall and the school was completely closed for the day, Naruto found himself prone on his back and using the dog's haunches as a pillow. It was probably high time to leave and find himself a place to stay but…this was actually pretty cozy with the gentle Spring weather keeping him comfortable. Naruto could see the stars clearly from here and it wasn't like camping outside was a major inconvenience for a traveling shinobi. The dog wasn't even that dirty (despite only using rain water and the occasional dip in the school's outdoor pool to clean itself) and so he figured a night of sleep there wouldn't make him _that_ soiled in turn.

The Borzoi glanced in Naruto's direction as he heard the occasional soft snort up against its hindquarters. The guest had actually fallen asleep. Well…he wasn't bothering anyone. This spiky-headed guy with all the interesting scents could stay in the canine's territory for a bit longer. After all, he had given the large animal some new things to think about. Lots of new things…

* * *

"So…we were unable to capture it yet again. Shiranui and I found the target but in the end we just couldn't hack it." Zenkichi announced to the lone other person inside of the Student Council's office. Despite a day having passed, the fifteen-year old blond and his uniform still looked as though he had gone through a blender. Oh his mom had fussed about and scolded him for begin so darn reckless, but that was to be expected of a loving parent. And as a former doctor _and_ possessing expert motherly skills, the elder Hitoyoshi quickly fixed him all up good as new and even sewed up the tattered outfit in a pinch.

Too bad it was all for naught when Zenkichi and Hansode got together again before classes started for the day to plan, and then executed said plan during lunch, finding their quarry wandering out near the edge of the woods of its territory in a hunt for food and ultimately making no progress. Holding up a clipboard, the boy stared at the big F-A-I-L written on the piece of paper and silently cursed the bluenette's annoying jibe. She was completely right…but still.

From across the boy, seated at the large desk reserved for one certain person of status, another student rested with her arms crossed under a rather magnificent chest bulging against her jacket. Like Hitoyoshi she wore the modified black uniform, blue stockings, and a blue skirt like Shiranui, but unlike the other peers hers was actually altered to in the front to show off an impressive amount of cleavage. Long, lustrous purple tresses hung down to the small of her back while spiky bangs fell into red eyes currently close in contemplation. Like plenty of others around here she too had a strand of gravity-defying hair poking skyward. But most importantly, a red armband hung around her left bicep with 'Student Council President' stenciled in kanji (as well as the ones signifying the status of Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer; she saw fit to wear them herself since she currently took care of those jobs in the absence of members). It was the girl Zenkichi had known for years, the one he couldn't seem to escape from, and the female everyone on the planet would agree on was wholly out of this world.

Kurokami Medaka.

Cracking open a sharp crimson iris, she regarded her childhood companion for a moment before releasing a small sigh, not even bothering to ask if he was well. Something like this wouldn't hinder the blond. "…I see. There's not much I can say, other than it's a bit unsettling how easily you get along with Shiranui." she remarked in a crisp, noble tone. Her words rang true, ask anybody else and they'd tell you the same. For only knowing each other a month or so the two freshman had become disturbingly relaxed around one another. Almost as if, somehow, the small bluenette understood what Zenkichi was like before she ever met him and used that to form their bond.

"Anyways, I guess it grew up during the time it was missing. Not so much an adult, but instead just became a wild beast. We even went and met with the owner as a matter of procedure, Akizuki Urushi-senpai. She…seemed like an easygoing girl. But it was difficult trying to explain the situation to her."

"Borzoi means 'agile and alertness' in Russian. Such dogs were originally used for hunting wolves…so in a sense, they are more beastly than the animals they hunted."

"Well that explains why I had such a hard time against it. Anyways, don't worry about it. There's no reason to give up. Someone's got to do the jobs you're unable to. Just leave it to me and Shiranui…we'll get it done." Medaka just quietly contemplated what Zenkichi just said as he continued on. "I don't think she'll be too pleased about helping again but I'm sure she'll tag along anyways. She can really come through in a pinch. You can go ahead and continue working on the other requests, Medaka-chan."

"Wait Zenkichi." she said the moment he pulled open the door. "I will handle this one."

"Uhhhhhhhh you sure about that? It's an _animal_."

Reaching down towards the table, the purplenette grabbed her trademark silk folding fan before standing to look out the large window at her back. The fact they had to ask another for help severely rankled Medaka's mood, more so because Hansode was not a part of the Student Council. They were here to serve; it was their job to help those in need. Shiranui _shouldn't_ need to assist simply because they should be able to finish it themselves.

But seeing what Medaka decided was a proper answer to the problem…didn't go over so well.

Traveling to the Drama Club while her two cohorts moved off to once again locate the canine, it wasn't before long when the second female decided to show up in an amusing and odd way. She had traded her uniform in for a skintight light grey bodysuit, over which she also had a strapless bikini top and bottom (with extra bushy tail), large round gloves, and round boots all covered in white fur. Her hands and feet were made to look like a dog's limbs although one could have likely guessed that thanks to the pièce de résistance…an oversized stuffed head of a cartoonish dog. Medaka's own face protruded from the 'mouth' of the animal, right underneath its big black nose. It still showed off her cleavage and curves, because the poor girl had an exhibitionist streak in her that Zenkichi swore just popped up one day out of the blue.

Cosplay…she was using cosplay…

She even still wore all of her armbands!

"…wh…what the hell?"

Shiranui was a bit more vocal. "This might be a stupid question but why're you dressed like that?"

"You cannot tell?"

"Well, we can. But it's hard to not ask why."

"Simple! Using this costume and tactic the target will view me as one of its own. When you're dealing with animals it is important to make the first move!" For emphasis Medaka turned, lifting her arms to make the large 'paws' hover near her face, while her butt was positioned towards the smaller girl to bring the eye towards the tail. It brought the bluenette's eye towards something, alright. With a deadpan stare the smallest of the three turned slowly to look at her blond buddy.

"Hey…is she…y'know?"

Zenkichi huddled down next to Shiranui so their whispering tone could only be heard by the intended party. A difficult feat when the one they wanted to keep out of the loop could hear a pin drop a mile away. "Here's the thing…Medaka-chan's so smart that she's passed back into stupid." Such as now. The girl's grades and intellect were staggering, but the idea of dressing up as a comical-looking (yet disturbingly sexy) dog to trick an actual canine made perfect sense to her. Except it most likely wouldn't work. It wouldn't be fooling anybody.

Except maybe Medaka…?

Turning towards the bushes a winning smirk graced the camouflaged student's lips as she caught sight of the Borzoi. It also didn't escape her incredible awareness that a large scroll based off something from the feudal era was propped up against the nearby wall. Of course it had nothing to do with the dog, but she still thought it strange for that to be there. Still, at the moment she only had eyes for the cutie lounging in the grass. With all her might Kurokami Medaka would entice the not-pup and show Hitoyoshi and Shiranui that it was as docile as any other sweet little dog out there.

She wanted to pet it, and hug it, and stroke its fur, and take it for walks, and love it!

Zenkichi had to explain in the background why Medaka was going to fail, and fail big time. Shiranui laughed about how she thought the Princess was jealous that the two of them were getting along so well and therefore this was a stunt to end the job so the pair wouldn't need to hang out any longer than necessary. Zenkichi and the shorter girl were friends, and seemed comfortable together, but the relationship was still developing. Medaka, jealous? That's just weird. The woman just really cared for animals…

…except that in turn they didn't care for her.

The first thing the Borzoi saw when it opened its scarred eyes was a female human in a crappy facsimile of its species. Then the primordial panic of escaping from a predator that dwarfed you in every conceivable way took hold in the dog's very bones, making it see an overlying outline of what the teenager really was superimposed over the space behind her.

Medaka cocked her head to the side, beatific smile sculpting her features as she held her arms wide in an innocent hug. "Let me pat your head. Let me give you a squ**eeze. Let's play, OKAY? COME ON, LET'S HAVE SOME FUN!**"

The animal heard her simple requests and words, but the devilish aura radiating off of her scrambled it until all the beast knew was horror. Oh, it was so embarrassing for the Borzoi when it jumped up in mind-bending, snot-nosed, tear-inducing, piss-in-your-pants terror and back flipped away from that which would tear it apart for breakfast. Biting down as it landed the creature grabbed something orange and black and lifted it to form a shield while cowering against Medaka's domineering presence. It was an Alpha, but she somehow transcended the highest status in spades.

It was then all three of the Hakoniwa Academy residents noticed the Halloween-themed barrier the Borzoi was using was actually a boy in ugly clothing. He was also fast asleep, uncaring that the dog had his jacket collar clenched between its jaws in the hope the demon would take him as sacrifice instead.

He had yellow hair, and slightly tanned skin compared to their own, and his clothing was strange (not just because of the coloration), and the drool dribbling down his chin apparently showed he could rest without a care in the world. Zenkichi was honestly envious about how he had been next to the huge dog of all things without being attacked, and could even sleep peacefully like a baby in its company. How come this spiky blond was treated casually, while _his_ spiky blond was showed just how many teeth fit inside the dog's mouth?

Not fair.

They all watched in confusion as the boy who looked their age was shaken raggedly by the Borzoi, making him snort and flail while waking up from the rough treatment, revealing bright blue eyes gummed up by hours of snoozing. A wide yawn soon followed before a few sharp cracks were heard as he moved his back, making him grumble about how he wished he'd set up his sleeping bag first. He had still not noticed there were other people about. Or that his furry companion was trembling behind him while slobbering all over his neck.

The first thing Naruto _did_ notice in his half-state of lucidity was a weird dog/person hybrid standing a couple feet away with thin human arms crossed underneath a bulging chest. "What the hell? Why does that dog have a huge pair of tits?" he asked in a groggy voice.

Medaka blinked at the crass statement before peering down at her heaving bosom. His question actually took away some of the sting affecting her behind their target's immediate rejection. But not a lot. Her heart was still crumbling and before long she had dropped to her knees, waves of gloom pouring off her body as Naruto pulled free from between clenched fangs and rose to his feet.

Looking between his dejected friend and the suspicious alternative Hitoyoshi ultimately decided to get the newcomer over with first. Medaka was strong; this wouldn't be the straw that broke the camel's back after all these years. Walking towards him Zenkichi waited as he fixed his appearance of any twigs, stray grass, and dog slobber only to clear his throat to grab the kid's attention. The jinchuriki's head snapped up as full focus returned to his awareness, allowing him to see a boy dressed in black, a short girl in a skirt, and that the dog with a unsettlingly nice rack was in fact just a female in a revealing costume.

Thank god.

"Hi. A few quick questions: who are you, and how are you not hurt by being near _that_." the regular human started while motioning towards the Borzoi shivering next to Naruto's legs. Said boy kneeled down to scratch between its ears, causing its trembling form to lessen in its motions by just a bit. Naruto's aura slightly counteracted Medaka's. So instead of feeling like its bladder control would never return, the horrified canine merely wanted to bury itself in a hole and become a groundhog forever.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. And why would the dog hurt me? I'm not doing anything to it." His sapphire orbs narrowed as he fully recognized the speaker. "Not like you. A butterfly net? What the hell was that about?"

"YOU SAW-…you saw that?" Zenkichi's incredibly unmanly retreat that was currently saved indefinitely on Shiranui's phone's memory? "Okay…yesterday wasn't my greatest moment but I thought the dog would be a puppy like advertised."

"Wait, _yesterday_? Holy crap! I slept nearly the whole day!?"

"It's after school. When'd you go to sleep? And why here?" It was then Zenkichi had another realization. "Wait- are you even a student of Hakoniwa Academy?"

"What's that?"

"…you're joking. It's the school we're all currently at. These grounds belong to the academy."

Naruto's innocently stupid expression gave the other blond all he needed to know. And yet raised so many more questions. Thankfully (or not) Hansode's energetic giggles ruined the mood while she flipped around the Uzumaki's figure and stopped to poke at the animal melding itself to the male's leg. "It sure sounds like there's a big explanation coming up, but first we better get this guy back to Akizuki-senpai. I bet she'll be happy we found her dog."

"You're a runaway? You mean you have an owner?" The Borzoi nodded weakly, despising its current weakness. "Well come on then, we better get you home. A day away probably has her really worried."

"Make that about a semester-long missing period instead."

"What!? No wonder you look so wild! Let's stop wasting time and go!" A swift swat to the ass made the Borzoi jump up and start running, leaving a wide berth around Medaka and her fetal position as the creature dipped through infantile memories to remember where Urushi lived. Naruto was soon on its tail after throwing the strap of his scroll over his shoulder and leaping clear over the downtrodden girl. It wasn't that impressive…except after his sandaled feet left the ground he continued to fly until his arc eventually brought him down incredibly close to the dog's position at least fifteen feet away without any buildup of speed. It was eye-opening to say the least.

Wasn't Medaka the only one who could do something extraordinary like that?

"Does Uzumaki-san know where he's going?" Zenkichi idly asked, trying to theorize how another person had just done a 'Medaka'.

"Do either of them?"

Hakoniwa Academy's General Affairs Manager sighed audibly before scratching at his fair-haired spikes. Did the animal even remember where its home was located after all this time? "Shit." Motoring his legs he rushed to catch up with the others, hoping he'd make it before either went in the wrong direction and made the job harder. "Hey! Wait up!"

Medaka slowly rose to her feet after her friend's departure, stumbling half-heartedly towards the main building where her office rested in complete silence.

Shiranui looked around, noticing she was indeed alone now, before pulling out a handheld PDA and began typing and moving her stylus all over the screen. That boy, Uzumaki Naruto…could it really be true? A headband with a leaf insignia, orange duds, and whisker marks…inputting a few more lines of code the small bluenette lost her smile before sliding the electronics into her skirt pocket. How inconceivable. But as a Shiranui she would spin this into a positive outcome. One that would benefit the village of her birth, and the purpose it had maintained for countless centuries.

It looked like it was time to go and see her grandfather sooner than she thought.

* * *

"She sure was nice."

"I don't believe Akizuki-senpai even _knows_ how to be angry with that sort of sweet personality."

"Those desserts she made were really good too. I haven't eaten all day…erm, maybe all that sugar wasn't such a good idea though." Naruto held his stomach as the heaviness of his meal made his movements sluggish. Urushi was a rather pretty second-year brunette with shoulder-length wavy hair, soft eyes, and a gentle smile who could create confectionary dishes with gusto. She had been so over the moon when her puppy (who was no longer a puppy) finally returned to her arms thanks to the efforts of the Student Council. But the second boy with the cute animal whiskers helped as well; in thanks she invited the pair of blonds within her home and rewarded them with her baking.

The girl seemed to dance around her oven as the plates of chocolate and candy creations magically appeared on the table over and over again. Naruto was quite fine with such a prize, especially coming from such an attractive female with a nice figure and tender personality. It was one hell of a bonus to the start of his vacation.

Zenkichi was less enthused despite the circumstances. He really needed to get back to Medaka, and Naruto needed to go with him because of the questions now plaguing his mind, but the kid wasn't budging until Urushi did her thing. The StuCo wasn't helping others for their own personal gain, and accepting the treats would be doing just that…but damn, they _were_ actually pretty darn tasty.

Too bad Shiranui had bugged off, or else she'd have really made Akizuki work for it.

In the end both males received a generous hug from the developed woman on their way out. Her pet was so well behaved compared to its younger self and she was ever so grateful in showing her appreciation. Akizuki giggled softly as she waved goodbye in a coy manner and closed the door, leaving behind two blushing men overdosed on sweets and agreeing she'd make one hell of a fine girlfriend to some lucky guy in the future.

After that Zenkichi invited the interesting person at his side back to the office; as a part of a group made towards bettering their school it was probably also their job to question an outsider as to why he was originally on Hakoniwa's grounds without any affiliation. Naruto acted like he was sightseeing as the duo walked through the city, blue eyes twisting around in wonder to gaze upon the most simplest of things. Cars, or street lights, or even people talking on their cell phones.

Oh no…was this another genius who was so above everybody else that he passed back into the realm of stupidity?

The ninja was given his own share of curious stares as he walked down the street, and then through the school, looking as if he belonged in some sort of manga. It made sense if Uzumaki was somehow on the same level of Medaka and her uniqueness. They didn't fit in properly with the normal crowd. But to pass the time and lessen the awkward atmosphere, Zenkichi took to filling in the other man on why his friend was so crazy. Which devolved into having to give a bare bones back story on who she was and how she could seemingly do the impossible. It lasted up until they returned to the school, with Naruto having a thoughtful look on his face that only vanished when they made it back to their destination. "Welp, here we are." the chakra-less male supplied while opening the large wooden door leading into headquarters. "This is the office of the Student Council."

"It's nice." Naruto commented while walking inside. Bookshelves lined the walls and there were a few tables lined up to form a makeshift channel in the middle of the room, diverting anyone straight towards the larger and more impressive desk at the end with two beautiful flower pots resting on the corners. Behind that was even a large window with a great view. The blond's attention was swiftly sidetracked though as he reached the middle of the room by a small box shaped like an older-styled Eastern house, complete with a small slit at the top. "What's that?"

"A suggestion box, Medaka's idea. Anyone with a question, or concern, or request, may write it down and place it inside. We of the Student Council then read those suggestions and work to better the school and fulfill their appeals."

"So it's like taking missions…but you don't get paid?"

"Er…I suppose you could see it that way? We don't expect nor ask for any sort of reward after completion."

"Urushi-chan gave us all that food though, so doesn't that mean you took something for a job well done?"

A soft whine interrupted the two conversing blonds, making them look towards the source of the pitiful noise. Sticking out from underneath the back of the third table they could see the end of a bushy tail slowly wiggling to and fro in a sad motion. Remembering he needed to finish the report Zenkichi halted their conversation before it escalated into an argument on ethics and picked up the clipboard from his small workstation, pretending there was actually a statement upon it to try and seem professional.

"Mission accomplished, Medaka-chan. The Borzoi was returned to its rightful owner. The suggestion is complete."

A soft hop had Naruto across the room to lightly tap down on top of the Prez's desk, allowing him to peer down and get a better view. Oh wow, it really was that girl from before…and she was still in cosplay. Lying underneath her desk the purplenette was on her side with arms folded underneath the giant plush head of her costume to act as a pillow while unfocused crimson eyes gave off the very definition of being downtrodden.

"…why…why couldn't I get the doggy to like me?" Medaka moaned as she ignored her friend's report. "I fail as a human…"

Completely unsure of what to do, because reassuring a woman was always a tricky business, Naruto decided to simply do what he did best and not think too much about it. Instead he reached over and began scraping his nails along the top of the fake dog's scalp as a sign of consoling. She acted like a dog so…Zenkichi nearly fell over when his oldest companion stopped groaning in sadness and actually started leaning into the boy's ministrations. The worst part? Naruto was staring at Zenkichi in surprise that it actually worked. Could she actually feel that?

Coughing into his closed fist the uniformed blond ignored how the busty woman's 'tail' had sped up in tempo. "Right…so, Uzumaki-san-"

"Just call me Naruto."

"…okay, Naruto. I hope you don't mind answering a few questions?"

"Go ahead."

"Why were you sleeping in that alley next to the dog? And as a matter of fact, where were you yesterday that allowed you to see me trying to capture it?"

"Oh that's easy. I was up on the roof and that gave me a perfect view. Or at least of the end where you were running away." Naruto snickered, continuing to pet a girl pretending to be a canine. "I sensed the negativity and came over to see what was going on, so imagine my surprise when it was a dog of all things giving off such intense emotions."

"You _sensed_ the Borzoi?"

"Yup. I only learned the skill somewhat recently so it's still not fine-tuned, but there's no way in hell I'd miss such a powerful feeling. As for the other part after you and the blue-haired girl left I jumped down because I was curious. The dog didn't attack but it was wary, so I started talking to it. About how I was just passing through, blah blah, and then about how it reminded me of another dog I know back home. It let me stick around and before I knew it hours had passed and I guess I just fell asleep."

"That is not fair. Why can't I get a cute pup to let me sleep near it?" Medaka groused, now sitting on her haunches like a four-legged animal as she let the spiky blond scratch between her shoulder blades above the furry bra strap.

Zenkichi felt a bead of cold sweat drip down his temple at how oblivious the two were. This wasn't normal. It was incredibly abnormal. He couldn't decide which was worse: Naruto, for losing sight of the fact the canine he was absentmindedly petting during this time was actually a curvaceous girl in a costume, or Medaka for being so hurt over the whole ordeal that she determined pretending her role as a fellow dog was still the best course of action and allowing a mere acquaintance (at best) to scratch her like a real one.

"You scared it. I don't know how, but next time don't do that."

Naruto recoiled when he eventually remembered who and what his palm was affectionately rubbing, tearing his hand away from the soft flesh of Medaka's back as though he'd been burned. Shaking her body out the purplenette pouted lightly before standing up and removing her headgear, giving the shinobi an unobstructed sight of the girl in question. It only made his cheeks burn brighter in embarrassment despite how Medaka didn't seem to care one way or another how awkward it all truly was.

"It's not that simple Naruto…you see, Medaka-chan has a very strong personality that draws us towards her. Humans can understand the attraction but animals only feel the heavy intent she emits. So they become scared of her. She can't control it and the animals can't stop from running away."

Dropping the stuffed helmet on the desk to her right Medaka leaned up against the wooden object and folded her arms under her bust. "One day that will change." she stated resolutely.

"So just to reiterate; you possess the skill to sense strong emotion-"

"_Negative_ emotion."

"-and it brought you here to the school."

"Yup."

"Then what I'd really like to know is why you are **here**? Someone normally doesn't hang out on campus unless they actually go here. Not only that but does this mean you're playing hooky from your own education?"

"Vacation." Naruto answered with an easy grin, the flush of his cheeks receding now that his focus wasn't entirely on the skimpily-clad woman standing close to his proximity. "I earned a lot of time off and I decided to finally take it. My boss did too. It's my first time coming to this city though and I originally didn't realize this place was a school. It's as wide as its own town."

"While it is normally forbidden for those not affiliated with Hakoniwa to enter the grounds without proper authorization, now that you are here regardless I simply cannot have you walking around unescorted. It is my job to lend a hand to those in need; who better than a misguided boy mistakenly setting foot on a public establishment? Uzumaki Naruto, I need to ask but how old are you?"

"Just recently turned seventeen last October."

"Then, Second-year Uzumaki, the easiest method for you to stay on campus is transferring to our prestigious academy!"

Zenkichi and Naruto shared a glance, silently conveying a heated conversation ultimately ending with the non-chakra blond clicking his tongue and wrinkling his nose. "Medaka-chan? I don't think it's that simple…"

"What are you talking about? I do not see the problem here."

So sure of herself. That was Medaka. Believing in others to the point she had an abundant overestimation of another's personality. In this case, if Medaka was in this situation then she'd have done as proposed and enrolled in the school to fix up this little snafu. But she never counted on the possibility that everyone else may not choose the same course of action. The purplenette believed they would just do as she would, plain and simple. It lead to plenty of problems in their youth such as when Medaka tutored her classmates in such a specific way because she figured every single one of them would earn perfect scores regardless, same as her.

In spite of her good intentions it actually made everything worse.

So imagine her own surprise when Naruto stepped onto the floor and vigorously shook his head with crossed arms. "No. Nope. Nu-uh. No way. Never. Like hell. I'm on a well-earned vacation after having to do a whole lot of crazy shit and you want me to go to a civilian school? Thanks but no thanks."

Sharp red eyes took in his defensive posture, wide stance, and uncomfortable furrowed brow of their interesting new guest before the buxom freshman circled his figure to make sure they were chest to chest. Or chest to breast, considering if she moved a few more inches Medaka would be pressing against him. Unsure whether to lean back or just hold his ground, Naruto only waited for her to do something. In the small amount of time he knew them, the pair of Student Council members were nice and polite and didn't even turn him in to the authorities because of his misguided trespassing.

But this hot lady expected him to do as she said just like that, uncaring of his own opinion?

Medaka's perfect sight searched his face, for something neither blond in attendance was completely sure on, until finally the odd tension between the two broke as the long-haired girl smirked victoriously. "Interesting…very well. It was my error to try and force you into such a decision instead of allowing you time to accept the idea. Instead I shall expect you meet here tomorrow by lunchtime. Perhaps seeing the positives of furthering your education firsthand through a tour of Hakoniwa shall change your mind?"

She then unfurled her fan she pulled from somewhere and placed it in front of her bust despite the cumbersome gloves, gently fanning her face while a few loose hairs gently swayed from the makeshift breeze. For not getting the jinchuriki to do as she said, Medaka still looked as though she came out the champion of their little disagreement. Rubbing the bridge of his nose with a curled finger Naruto nodded slowly before deciding he had enough for today. If he said no to the sightseeing as well then most likely she'd come up with another plan, and another, and another, until the blond relented. Besides…if the school was granted so much land, way more than the Ninja Academy ever did, then the genin was curious in seeing what they all had to take up that space.

Zenkichi showed him out while Medaka took to staring out the bay window again. Before long she made out his obvious personage leaping across the property like a grasshopper with relative ease. And judging by his flight of travel and the specific set of buildings in that general direction, the purplenette deduced it was more than likely Naruto was making a beeline towards the academy's tallest building: the clock tower. In case she had to search for him tomorrow it was handy to know the best location for his whereabouts.

The opening of the door behind her announced Hitoyoshi had returned. It had to be him, seeing as the blond was the only other person to ever come inside anyways. That, and the specific rustle of clothes suggested a boy of his physical proportions, and the slight exhalation explained of slouched posture her childhood friend was known to do. "I think you scared him at the end there a bit, Medaka-chan."

"Nonsense Zenkichi. Did you not see his defiant attitude? He only agreed to rejoin us out of actual curiosity and not because it was I who came up with the idea. I do wonder why he appears so interested in learning more about the school though. Despite Hakoniwa's higher standards, all educational facilities possess the same generic guidelines. Does this mean he never enrolled in any high school? It begets the question of 'what does Uzumaki Naruto do' that makes him foreign to the idea of class. If you remember correctly, he called us a civilian school. AND he is on a forced vacation given to him through an employer."

"Yeah that's…well I don't actually know what to think about that."

A quick flick of her wrist closed the folding fan in her mittened hand with a snap. Medaka turned on her heel, sending certain parts swaying about in the thin bra, before the gal picked up the oversized animal head and tucked it under her armpit. "Which makes this a win for both sides. We learn more about the enigma that is our most recent associate, and he in turn discovers the delight of public schooling."

"Like I said I don't think it'll be that simple." He wouldn't really call it delightful either.

"You're too pessimistic Zenkichi." Lifting the large helmet she pulled it down until once again her pretty face protruded from the faux-canine's mouth, making her shake her head to readjust and cause the ears to flip back and forth. Seeing her complete the cosplay again caused the blue-eyed male to remember an obscure piece of information learned through today's adventure.

"Say…I know this is completely off topic but did you know Akizuki-senpai actually named her dog Borzoi?"

She cocked a slender brow at him as if to say such a thing was the obvious choice in labeling their pet. Except naming the dog with its breed name was not standard. It really, really wasn't. But Medaka didn't follow the normal thought processes graced by those with lesser intelligence. Suppressing a sigh he watched her leave as she went off to return the animal costume to the rightful department. Gathering up his schoolbag he figured now was as good a time as any to head home once she returned and he said his goodbyes. The day had been draining and all Zenkichi wanted to do now was sleep.

* * *

Far underneath the school's clock tower, the elusive last member of the animal capturing squad was just settling down to enjoy yet another tasty banquet set out for only one.

"What is it that has you so excited, Sode-chan?"

The flat-chested girl grinned around the turkey leg she was gnawing on as the older man speaking to her waited patiently for a break in her gorging. Seated in a large room lit by dim bulbs, the pair were seated across from each other on their own plush couch while a wide square coffee table separated them both. Shiranui's half of the desk was literally covered in a pile of food at least matching the small teen in weight _and_ height. The female had no stomach; a black hole apparently hovered in its spot instead.

After phoning her family member that she needed to meet with him, it hadn't taken too long before she was given clearance to visit as well as given the grandiose meal as an incentive.

"You'll never guess who I met today Ji-chan."

Upon closer inspection the elder gentleman dressed in a blue kimono and yellow haori tailored for the male gender did indeed share a resemblance with the student. His short hair was starch white due to advanced age but he also possessed the thick strand of hair poking up from his scalp. A silver beard and moustache rested over wrinkled skin, tapered to a point most likely thanks to the near constant stroking motions Shiranui Hakama made whenever he became lost in thought. Such as now while the Chairman of Hakoniwa Academy pondered over who his granddaughter could be alluding to.

"Okay, I'll bite. Who was it?" he asked in a wheezy, tired sounding voice.

"Just a certain blond jinchuriki from the Hidden Leaf."

Hakama's normally squinted eyes shot open, revealing small blue irises easily matching Hansode's in color, as he struggled to decipher whether or not the child was indeed telling the truth. "This is not a false alarm? You know for a fact it was him?"

"Yup." Dropping the gnawed bone and wiping her greasy hands on a napkin the bluenette put her pointer fingers at the edge of her eye sockets and pulled, making them appear squinty. "He did this a lot in the short time we were together, like a fox. And each cheek had three whiskers. Orange clothes too, and the best bit of evidence? A Konoha headband."

"…how marvelous."

"And if that's not enough, he introduced himself as Uzumaki Naruto."

The Chairman's wiry fingers slowly plucked at his goatee before leaning back and allowing his eyes to close again. "This may be our best chance then. Was he alone?"

"As far as I could tell. He apparently slept out on the school grounds last night so either he's not in a big hurry to go elsewhere or he's got a mission far from home that brought him here."

"Then we must make haste."

"I agree, but then again he also just met Kurokami Medaka. If I had to make a bet he'll be sticking around for a bit because of the Princess."

"She does have that personal magnetism. Still, every second wasted makes our chances smaller and smaller."

"Don't worry. I've got a plan or two to try and keep him around."

"That's my girl. You make our village proud."

Shiranui's strident laugh cut through the din of the near empty sitting room at her grandfather's commendation. With a smirk the female grabbed a fistful of candy and tossed them into her mouth, chewing audibly and making sure every crunch was clearly heard.

"I know. But it's still nice to get praised for what I do."

* * *

Growing more flustered by the second, Akizuki Urushi rushed around her small home in search of her newly returned pet. It hadn't been a full day and already she feared the Borzoi had run away again. "Oh dear! Please still be here!" she chanted, moving from room to room for any sight of the furred creature. Only to stop and backtrack a few feet, taking a look near her small dining table and tilting her head questioningly at what the brunette saw. Sighing in relief Urushi walked over, fists clenched against her large chest while feeling the heart hidden within beating a high tempo over the spike of stress from nearly losing her beloved canine again.

"Borzoi! There you are! Don't scare Mama like that! I was so worried you'd gone off again…"

The tan dog lifted its head and peered over a wooly shoulder, regarding the junior with a questionable stare one wouldn't expect from a mere animal. Smiling at her pet Akizuki folded her skirt underneath her knees before kneeling down. A dainty hand began scratching the fur between its ears as the dog turned away again and began…woofing quietly to itself?

"Are you okay Borzoi?"

The Russian breed chuffed again before the human heard the sound of rustling paper. Ever more curious she leaned over her pet, only for her pretty eyes to widen in surprise. The animal had one of her Japanese dictionaries underneath its folded paws and, if Urushi's guess was any good, trying to sound out the plentiful words marking every page. Was that…was that something Borzoi's were known to do?

"Oh…you're busy? Well…I'll just…leave you alone for now." Because this was something big to take in. In the end she buried her head into the nape of the big canine's neck and gave it a big hug. "I'm glad you're back Borzoi. I missed you so much."

The happy tail wagging and the affectionate lick against her cheek kept the second-year smiling for the rest of the night.

* * *

**There aren't many of these crossovers and Medaka Box was such an interesting series. So here's my take on one. It will seem similar to canon in the beginning but it should break away like I've got planned.**

**First story. I've written before but never on this site. So let's try this out, shall we?**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: See first chapter

* * *

Chapter 2:

* * *

The pleasant chiming of the clock announcing Hakoniwa's last call before classes began for the day was what first woke Naruto up. Far above the masses he unzipped and shuffled out of the sleeping bag, rolling out of the tent quickly yet efficiently propped up on the roof of the massive clock tower despite not being staked to the ground. He was worried the wind would blow it off and make a mess but placing a few heavy rocks inside at the corners fixed the problem up in a jiffy.

With a toothbrush in his mouth and a cup of water in hand, the Uzumaki wondered how he'd make a fire way up here so the liquid for his ramen could boil.

A quick decision was made, causing the blond to eventually pack up his gear and summon the elderly toad Fukasaku for a quick trip back to Mount Myouboku. Though the amphibian didn't care for being pulled out of bed at such an early time, his appreciation and love for the teenage shinobi only made Pa give him a few good smacks to the skull. Poofing back Naruto figured he had a few good hours to use the summons' hotsprings and get in a meal. Once Shima realized he came to visit there'd be a steaming bowl of bugs set out for him at their size-appropriate dinner table. Not food he'd be salivating over…but training with these creatures had given him an acquired taste.

It was nice to relax and pal around with his buddies here at the toad mountain for once instead of being thrust into a life or death situation with their assistance. Why hadn't he ever done this sooner? Gamakichi and Gamatatsu joined him in the bath, both younger toads shrinking down to an appropriate size now that their actual growth had them towering over the human like their father did. The trio talked and laughed while Naruto explained his latest situation before eventually that turned into the three of them getting out of the humid pools in search of food.

As expected, Ma had him a big ol' feast of insects laid out. She even cleaned his dirty laundry for him. Hands clasped together in thanks the makeshift family spent the rest of the morning together before the ninja reluctantly stated he needed to get back. Pa and Kichi were merciless over the fact a girl, and a looker at that from his descriptions, was actually waiting on him. Was this a change of luck in his love life? Not really. Naruto made it abundantly clear that their teasing was baseless and he currently had no female interests in spite of the how all the major shinobi villages banding together introduced him to a bevy of beauties. Don't even get him started on Konoha's kunoichi either. Maybe it was some sort of weird mental inhibition that manifested after his near death, but the kid decided to ignore a relationship for now and instead gain worldly experience. Even the unresolved tension between himself and Hinata was indefinitely detained, the Hyuuga heiress needing time to come to proper terms with Neji's passing and the suffrage of their losses.

The war had had changed them, no doubt.

Besides, with being in the shinobi profession, it felt like Naruto finally had full control of his life for the first time ever. No plots restraining his movements, no apparent enemies keeping him on edge, no **nothing** gunning for him or his biju. An Uzumaki's natural life span lasted a bit longer than everybody elses; wasting some of his adolescence just fucking around and finding himself wouldn't be dearly missed. Priorities had changed and being the Hokage wasn't as urgent as it used to be. Oh…he still wanted the hat and robes to call his own, especially after the climax of the fate of the Kage and biju, but because he could handle the immense responsibilities. Not because the blond wanted everyone to acknowledge his existence anymore.

So waving goodbye to his friends the blond vanished in a cloud of smoke. Reappearing on top of the tall structure Naruto swiftly leapt into the open air and rocketed towards the pavement, eventually touching against the white concrete of the clock tower to slow his descent. A few students out from class and on the quad heard his woop of joy before a blond in bright orange popped out of nowhere and hit the ground with bent knees. They had no idea who he was or where he came from, and imagine the surprise when he stood up like it was no big deal instead of a bloody pancake taking his place. Cracking his neck the oddly dressed male turned towards the main building and nodded politely to those he passed without saying a word.

Like it was no big freaking deal.

"D…did that guy just fall from the sky?"

"Who the hell was that?"

"How is he not dead!?"

Questions were asked. Answers were left blank. Nobody understood a hint of the madness they were all just witness to. There _was_ a single unanimous decision though that arose from the crowd as the bell signaled break was soon to begin and lunch was around the corner:

If he was some kinda superhuman, then they all agreed he must have somehow been involved with Kurokami.

* * *

Zenkichi looked over the pad of paper in his hands, making sure every box drawn into the left margin was check marked as a testament to his progress. Seated at a table in the spacious lunchroom on the located off the main learning center, he gave it a final verification before slapping the topmost sheet with the backs of his fingers in triumph.

"Since I went to the Boxing Club yesterday before our morning search for the dog, I've completed all of my competitive fighting. Next is…" He flipped over a few pages. "…looks like I'll be attending team sport games next."

Blue eyes gave a glance towards Shiranui who was sitting in the stiff chair to his left with her face stuck in a bowl of ramen. She'd been facedown for awhile now and he idly wondered if he should see if she was stuck, or pull her out, or something. He didn't think the bluenette was passed out or anything; she moved once in awhile as if still eating whatever was left in the container but one could never be too careful. Just think of the news headline: _GIRL FOUND DEAD IN CUP OF NOODLES!_

Across from him a boy with spiked green hair swept forward around his eyes, square-rimmed spectacles, and the white male uniform silently pondered over the blond's words before curiosity finally won out and he just had to ask. "Is there a point to all of this Hitoyoshi? Are you really that much of a sports fanatic?"

"No. Not really. I just have a rule about exercise. Sweat at least five liters a day." he responded to Hyuuga Habataki, a Kendo Club member and its current leader. He boy had actually been the very first to ever use Medaka's box, asking for help in clearing out a bunch of delinquents who took up residence in the kendo hall. Through the StuCo's (mostly Medaka's) efforts the former kendo practitioners reformed to the point where they actively returned to class and worked hard at their sword practice, becoming the new staff of the club. Hyuuga had taken offense to that; he might not look it but the boy had a terrible personality and his request meant complete decimation until they permanently left the building because he didn't want to share.

Because of his violent tendencies he even struck Zenkichi from behind with a bokuto after it was learned the punks were still around and called Medaka worthless. Since she had 'failed' he would take it upon himself to clean up the trash littering his club. It escalated to the point where he and Hitoyoshi were yelling at each other before the swordsman was punched in the face by the blond, stopping Habataki from assaulting Zenkichi again in turn. Swearing revenge he slinked away only to come face to face with the 'Princess' herself.

During the encounter Shiranui had requested for Medaka to fix the Hyuuga's shitty personality.

The purplenette swore he would never embrace evil again before starting the conversion the smaller girl asked for. No one knew exactly what she did to the poor boy, as they were too intimidated to approach her over it and he wouldn't tell anyone what happened due to the trauma. Yet he'd become a mellow, agreeable person thanks to her endeavor and was willing to work with others. The very first and second appeal to the Student Council was a resounding success. To signify their victories a pair of colorful flower pots were added to their room the very next day.

Both boys stopped as the only female in attendance wiggled in her seat before _finally _pulling free from the meal, sloshing ramen broth all over the table as she inhaled precious air. The back of a small hand wiped against her dirty chin as she looked at the bowl with stars in her eyes. Shiranui had heard Zenkichi in her solitude and found herself agreeing with his personal daily goal.

"Yeah! I promised myself I'd drink five liters of broth every day too!"

"That's…ramen isn't a beverage."

"...anyways, didn't you know Hitoyoshi? You've garnered quite a name around here. You've started the legend of the Student Council's 'Club Typhoon.'" Hyuuga said while pointing towards the second male's list. Zenkichi simply stared at the green-haired freshman before chuckling. Medaka really did do a number on him and made him change for the better, didn't she?

"Heh, I didn't know you cared."

"S-SHUT UP! WHO GIVES A SHIT ABOUT YOU!?" he responded rather heatedly. The guy still had massive anger issues. Zenkichi just ignored him while continuing on.

"It's no big deal anyways. I started doing this to make a name for myself. The nickname's kinda lame though…"

Leaning back in his chair, the 'Typhoon' folded his arms behind his head and sighed. Couldn't it have been something cooler? The blond boy almost missed it when someone came up behind him and began to speak. It was a rough voice, low and gravely, causing Zenkichi to turn and see who was talking. It was a male as guessed (and hoped) in a white uniform fitted to his tall frame, with short black hair spiked upwards, metal hooked to his ears, and oddly pointed teeth. Gaunt, angry eyes with a scar under the right watched the blond in the chair like a predator even though his tone and wording was strangely polite.

"So you want to make a name for yourself then, Hitoyoshi-kun?"

"Oh…Kanoya-senpai."

"Hey, come talk with me for a bit. I need yer advice on something." the dangerous-looking junior asked casually, dropping his empty meal tray on the table and walking away. Shrugging towards Hyuuga and Shiranui, Zenkichi got up and followed out of sheer curiosity. Kanoya Hisshuu was a…confusing yet charismatic individual. While at times the second-year acted like a responsible student one didn't expect because of his appearance or demeanor, it was natural for the man to embrace his scary looks to get what he wanted.

Such as when he was Medaka's former rival towards becoming the head of the Student Council.

When Kanoya learned he was up against a monster he took to using vicious methods in order to win votes from the student populace. It might have worked, had the curvaceous fifteen year old not beaten him senseless as just punishment for his misdeeds. Hisshuu lost the vote, obviously, but even if Medaka hadn't put a stop to his deviousness her natural allure canceled out any intimidation on his part.

Safe to say Zenkichi kept his guard up as the pair of them wound their way through the school's halls.

Habataki was twisted in his seat, watching the two leave through the mess hall's main entrance before speaking aloud. He wasn't looking to make friends but it didn't hurt to practice being cordial to people anymore. And Hansode was still at the table too, scarfing down an overfilled bowl of rice so the green-haired lad decided she would do for his attempt. "…that guy seems abnormally scary. Is it alright for him to go alone?" he asked while spinning to look at the unusually gluttonous teen.

"Hmmm? Yeah it's fine, it's fine. But why are you asking me? We're just casual acquaintances."

"Wow. What a way to just write him off like that."

Shiranui giggled around her chopsticks, never once stopping her intake of food. "Nya ha! I tend to help out only when things seem fun~! Hitoyoshi can take care of himself, and if it comes down to it he could always beat up Kanoya-senpai like Kurokami did when she found out he was rigging the votes."

"Kurokami's as beastly as she looks, huh? It's safe to presume that the guy has a big grudge against her then."

"Probably. He wants advice but he's not the type to use the suggestion box so it's probably a pathetic attempt at revenge. So who better to learn about your enemy from than her second in command?" the height-challenged teen finally placed her utensils down and crossed her arms over her chest. Whatever Kanoya was going to do, it wouldn't work. You didn't win against someone like Medaka no matter how much forethought or planning somebody did beforehand. It was kind of annoying, really.

"Is it not presumptuous to only think Second-year Kanoya is planning vengeance?"

Shiranui jumped in her seat and Hyuuga actually opened his eyes wide (normally leaving them shut for whatever reason) as a stately voice of the girl of their conversations spoke up from behind the bluenette. How she simply walked in to the room and over to their table without either noticing her visit was an amazing feat. Not only that, but the purplenette had taken to completely mimicking the smaller girl's pose down to the letter. Arms folded over her bust, back straight against a chair she borrowed from somewhere else, and a neutral expression leveling her lips.

"K-Kurokami!? When the hell did you show up!?"

"Not too long ago Same-year Hyuuga. Our tour led us to this part of the facility and I chanced upon you both speaking of the former presidential applicant."

"What do you mean 'our'? You're alone and Hitoyoshi is gone."

Medaka nodded her head towards somebody behind the Hyuuga, who recoiled when a body noisily dropped into the seat next to him with a tray filled with instant ramen cups steaming and ready to go. "Can you believe they actually did something smart and have the water boiling already? I just had to pour it in! No three minute wait for this guy!" Cracking a set of chopsticks apart, Naruto greedily and boisterously began consuming the noodles at a frightening pace. All Habataki could see over the container's curled lid was a set of happy bright blue eyes that eventually peered towards him after feeling his gaze. "Sup?" the ninja asked through a mouthful of food.

"Uh, who are you?"

A few stray noodles whipped around before disappearing into the boy's mouth as he sucked them in. "Naruto."

"I asked your name, not what you're eating."

Naruto actually stopped shoving the chow in his mouth, also taking the time to smack Shiranui's hands with his utensils as she tried to steal one of his cups, while looking at the glasses-wearer with a deadpan glare. "That's my name, jackass."

Like clockwork all the effort Hyuuga put into controlling his temper vanished in an instant. "YOU WANNA GO!?"

"As it were, the body's needs must be met and Second-year Uzumaki requested we stop for a meal." Medaka continued on as if the pair of men weren't gearing up to start a fight. Ignoring the way they were glaring at each other, she scooted her own chair forward until she fully joined the other three. "I must admit I did not think he would take so many of the same item though."

"What can I say? I love ramen."

"You could share, you know." Shiranui said while pouting before noticing a glaring difference about Naruto's appearance. "Wait. Did you join the school?"

The feasting male quickly peered down at the white uniform without any hint of orange before shaking his head, causing his hair to fall into his eyes without a certain headband holding them back. "Nope! But we figured it'd be easier for me to walk around in disguise."

"Is this really alright? Isn't making everyone think he's a student when he's not, like…against the law or something? Shouldn't aiding him in doing so go against your morals?" The boy with glasses turned towards Medaka, a fresh smirk slowly growing on her face while she regarded the question with interest.

"Normally I would immediately agree with your assessment Same-year Hyuuga…but this is merely a preview of what's to come. The uniform, the tour…it's all to help Second-year Uzumaki grow accustomed to Hakoniwa for when he finally enrolls. So there is no actual rule breaking taking place."

Naruto stared at the confident beauty with a dry look before reaching to dig into his fourth instant noodles. "I never agreed to that. Just the tour. Secondly, I don't think that makes it okay."

The purplenette merely cocked a self-assured eyebrow while her smaller female companion raised a hand like she was in class, waving it around. "And the uniform?"

"Same-year Shiranui, are you aware than Uzumaki Naruto possesses an extraordinary ability to transform his appearance into anything he wishes?" Medaka added as her smile grew another few millimeters.

Two heads (though only one of them was truly surprised, and it showed on her face) snapped towards the blond, who only sighed around his chopsticks and set them down on the tray. "Well it's not really a secret or anything. It's a basic ninjutsu we learn in the academy. Although mine isn't just an illusion…even with my new control I still can't help but overpower it and make the henge real, in a sense."

"So these clothes aren't genuine?" Habataki asked while fingering the fabric on Naruto's shoulder uncertainly before ripping the digits away. "It sure feels real…hold on, if you can just create clothing you're not just naked under these since you'd have no need for any real ones are you? Gross."

"How come every time I meet a new Hyuuga, it's never much of a good experience?" the shinobi retorted before ignoring the boy's angry sputtering as he clasped his hands together and focused. A mild bang went off as the Uzumaki visitor was completely enshrouded in smoke, sending the kendo fighter next to him into a coughing fit and drawing the eyes of everyone else in the area, before it finally thinned to the point where Naruto could again be seen but in his original garb. "See? Here's me normally." A second 'poof' later. "And now I'm using the henge again."

Hansode reached over the table (and actually having to lie on top to do so) and ran her hand across his forehead. Even though she knew his hitai-ate should be there the blue-haired freshman could only feel regular skin against her fingers. "Oh wow! That's cool! You're like a ninja!"

"Eh heh heh…wellllll…I am. One of the best, if I do say so myself. And this way I didn't have to borrow a real uniform from Medaka here and have her try and guilt me into enrollment."

"Really?" The glimmering stars had returned to Shiranui's eyes as the busty purplenette visibly pouted. "That's so cool! I didn't know they existed!"

"Of course they do! Well, from where I come from. I'm on vacation right now, Medaka knows this, so I'm not really sure why she's so keen on making me join."

"Did you not mention before in my office that you essentially have as much free time as you want?"

"Well…maybe."

"Deducing what I can from the basic information you've told me, your education is cut off at a certain point early on in your lifestyle for those who pursue this type of career. Mathematics, science, languages, and the like are put on hold while your entire focus is placed upon your new job. Therefore, if you may stay away from your village for as long as you wish then I cannot fathom why you would not take the chance to further your studies."

Naruto's mouth opened to retort against Medaka's completely one-sided argument but a little blue loli beat him to the punch. With a quick swipe she snatched away one of his cups and poured the entire contents into her mouth, azure irises watching the blond the entire time just to tick him off even more. With his attention on her because of the discourteous gesture she immediately cut off the confrontation before it could start. "Come on you two, you shouldn't start arguing. Break is almost over and it sounds like this one would take awhile."

"You little-"

"Oh, before I forget! Even if you don't transfer to Hakoniwa I still think it would be a good idea to go and talk to the chairman of the academy! He could probably write you a pass to give you access to the school if you'll be sticking around, instead of sneaking around in broad daylight."

Even Medaka blinked in quiet reflection, placing a hand to her chin while mulling over the girl's suggestion as the traveling jinchuriki simmered in his seat. "I am surprised I did not think of that first. Yes, that sounds like an ideal course of action. It would make things easier if the chairman gains your information and draws up the paperwork for you."

"I'm not…ugh."

"C'mon Uzumaki. I can take you. He's my grandpa so I can easily see him whenever I want."

Quietly cursing the midget for taking some of his food, the blond eventually decided he'd get her back at a later date. "Oh…that's convenient."

"Yup. If we go now I can drop you off before heading to class." Stretching her arms out Hansode scooped together the remains of what once would have been a full meal and shoveled the mess onto her tray. With a small hop she dropped to the ground and lifted her garbage, waltzing over towards the nearest bin and ridding herself of the trash. Naruto rose to join her when the one named Hyuuga waved his hand for attention, fiddling with the square rims sitting over his nose as he asked one last- and rather important- question they all apparently missed.

"But what about all the other school years he neglected? How would you make those up if you do decide to enroll?"

Naruto shrugged, because he wasn't planning on doing it regardless. Shiranui ignored them altogether as she suddenly pulled out two separate electronic devices from her pockets and began furiously typing into one of them while scrolling through the other. Her expression had dropped into neutrality, a first for the lively teen, concentrating on finding something specific to relay whatever message needed to be sent as she stood with her back to the others. With one final click she shut her machines and they were placed away; blinking up at Naruto as she turned her face one again became sparkling with energy. With a raised hand Hansode announced herself. "Ready!"

"The lets go. I'd like to head out and find a place to stay for the rest of my visit while there's still daylight so I'm not stuck camping out anymore. I do enough of that already."

As the duo left, all that remained by now was Habataki and Medaka. The boy again fiddled with his glasses while concealed irises carefully watched the voluptuous freshman slowly rose to her feet while calling out after her former charge. "Whenever you are next able, please return to my office!" Satisfied upon seeing the lazy wave of his arm back at her despite his stride never breaking nor even turning around to look, the female slid out and pushed her seat in against the table.

The Hyuuga was less enthused, to say the least. "Great…we've got another crazy one walking around." And he could disillusion himself in such a way no one would ever notice. Or at least…it was the perfect cover against those who were strikingly normal. A stray thought of his screamed out that Kurokami most likely would be able to tell, or sense, or just _know _when Naruto was using the transformation, because she was scary like that. The swordsman didn't care to lower his voice since Medaka would have heard his mutterings anyways.

She fixed him with a stare that spoke volumes on how little those words, while somewhat rude, affected the superhuman since they encompassed her as well. Fluttering her red eyes the purplenette eventually flicked some stray hairs over her shoulder at the exact same moment the bell rang for classes to resume. "You are presuming that is a problem, Hyuuga the Same-year. Take care~."

Hyuuga Habataki groaned as the abnormally superior member of their species strolled away to return to her classroom on the second floor. He was pretty much the very last person left within the mess hall and truthfully the freshman no longer felt like returning to the boring monotony of lessons. There was some kind of massive change coming on the horizon and he could feel it in his bones. And it likely had to do with the fact there were now two strange creatures walking the halls of Hakoniwa Gakuen instead of merely one.

Had Habataki been more aware of the inner workings of the school he might have known there were actually far more than the meager number of _two_.

* * *

The office was actually located on the first floor on essentially the other side of the man building. As Naruto and Shiranui walked through the halls people actually thought he was Zenkichi changed back into his old uniform until they finally got a better eyeful of the stranger. The short bluenette with the curly ahoge did nothing to refute their claims either. She was a lively little thing though; maybe it was all the food she consumed fueling her compact body with an overabundance of energy and calories. Tiny feet skipped and hopped and twirled around as Hansode extended her arms like she was a top.

That and the girl spoke of pointless topics just to pass the time. Such as how cool it was to know a real life ninja. Naruto enjoyed basking in the admiration because out here the shinobi lifestyle was rare. He might not have been searching for recognition (as greatly as before) anymore, but there was no doubt of how much Shiranui was buttering him up by her constant praise. At least until they were stopped in the hall by one of the masses who so far hadn't done anything to hinder their movement.

Standing in their way with her uniformed body hunched over slightly, you could easily tell she wasn't an ordinary student.

Her stance was wide, thin legs apart and defiant like someone guarding something of importance. Neck-length moss green hair was pulled up into two untamed pigtails, parted down the center with the bangs falling into her eyes...except there was a thick binding of bandages around her skull running from nose to brow ridge. Naruto cocked an eyebrow at the way her arrogant grin seemed to grow wider upon their arrival.

"This him?" she asked rhetorically. Laughing in such a strange way that her torso bobbed with every chuckle the girl took a step closer to the blond and raised a hand up to her bandages for a better look. Pulling, the item unraveled and fell into her hands, revealing jagged eyes with dull, murky red irises hidden underneath. Hirado Royal first peered down at Shiranui (who nodded very subtly) before staring into Naruto's eyes with those clouded orbs and if anything her toothy smile turned giddy. "You should stick around the school for the time being. It's an interesting place and anything can happen!"

Quickly re-wrapping her blinders Hirado scampered away out of sight. Both male and female blinked in tandem before Naruto summed up his opinion in words. "Well that was strange." The child-type next to him nodded in agreement while mentally sneering at the other girl's advance. She called _that_ being clever and cunning? Good thing the Uzumaki was supposed to have the lower intelligence of your stereotypical high school jock. The encounter to him was just a girl being nothing more than a little weirdo.

Trying to put it out of mind the pair continued on.

The pretty young clerk at the secretary's desk smiled towards her shorter feminine counterpart who waved happily in turn, further cementing the idea in the blond's head that she did indeed visit here constantly. "Go ahead. He's in a meeting right now but that should be finishing up any second now."

Signaling with her hands the glutton shooed Naruto down the conjoined hallway, watching as his spiky head of hair trudged down the long hallway leading towards Hakama's public office visited by all the regular students and visitors to their fair educational facility. Her jiji would make appearances here during school hours before returning to his more secluded study in a far more secretive location on the grounds used for organizing and presiding over a certain life-changing project.

'_Huh…this was way easier than I thought it would be. I just hope my last minute adjustment actually worked._'

Looking pleased the youngest Shiranui at the academy padded away as the final warning bell's shrill cry pierced through the corridors. Hansode did all she could for the time being. The rest was up to just how influential her elderly family member could really be. As an afterthought she quickly sent off an email to her grandfather, adding in what her micromanagement hoped to accomplish just in case it came up during the conversation and took away from the powerful front he hoped to use. She couldn't have him getting distracted and make a mistake that would tear down the entire process.

As luck would have it the girl slipped back into class 1-1 right when the final bell rang. Seeing her blond friend already at his seat she scooted over and plopped into her spot just before the teacher began calling off names for roll. "Welcome back." he said as she opened a notebook. Shiranui's hair bobble dipped as she regarded him out of the corner of her large eye, speaking quietly enough so as not to be discovered by the instructor.

"How'd it go with Kanoya-senpai?"

Zenkichi sighed heavily through his nostrils only to lean back in his chair. "He's planning some sort of coup against Medaka-chan and asked for my help. As the one who's always a few steps behind her, he figured I'd want a shot at taking her down and free myself from her influence."

"And?"

"Well…after school he asked I meet up with him and the others who're looking to take her down a few pegs. According to Kanoya-senpai, even if I betray her she's such a monster she wouldn't care anyways."

"So what are you gonna do?"

"…" Zenkichi rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "If Medaka-chan knew, she'd likely head off by herself and face them all down because that's who she is. Even her enemies aren't immune to her all-encompassing love…but as far as I know she isn't aware so I guess I'll have to take it upon myself to show them the error of their ways."

"Such a hero, aren't you?"

Glancing up at the teacher, Hitoyoshi proceeded to lay his head down on the desk and sigh again. "I just want to be the one who protects Medaka-chan. If she's unable to do something herself then it's up to me as the only other member of the Student Council to take over the responsibility." It was unseen by the man but Shiranui rolled her eyes. The day the monstrous princess needed someone to defend her from _anything_ was the day something…like, the moon fell out of the sky.

* * *

Naruto's steps echoed loudly in his ears as he moved down the corridor, walking towards the pair of detailed doors trimmed with metal set as his destination. A few other doors surrounded him as he moved, being the offices used by lesser officials and workers for the school. At least the hallway was wide enough for a few people to stand shoulder to shoulder if the area ever became overcrowded. The only reason the blond merely thought of this was because he wasn't the only one in the hall anymore.

Nearing his destination the elaborate portal cracked open with a small troop of people coming out with the last in line quietly shutting the door. All six fixed him with beady stares as they passed by, making him pause and glare back just because their own looks were annoying him to say the least. It was a ratio of three boys, one girl, and two unknowns…and uh…actually one of them wasn't even standing on the ground now that Naruto stopped scowling and actually took the time to really look.

The first was a tall male, possibly the leader with the way he stood regally at the head of the advancing party. Like Naruto he was a blond, with his hair swirled and spiked upwards like a messy broom, and dangerous red eyes that spoke of how little he seemed to think of any of the other people in his presence. He had on the white outfit like the sage's henge but it was frayed and tattered, missing the tie with a high collar and uniform cape longer than normal. Strangely enough he also had thin red dangling earrings, a purple band around his neck, and a thin necklace with a small hook poking out from the bottom of a skull ornament.

He sneered at the ninja before disregarding him completely.

At his side was a rather small…person(?) about the height of Hansode and dressed in large, baggy white jacket and red pants to hide everything underneath. Their hair was silvery-blue and slicked back, with their face concealed behind a thick oval mask with four small triangles where the eyes, mouth, and forehead would be situated. A heavy-looking backpack hung off the kid's shoulders, their neck was covered by a red scarf, and lastly his/her hands were stuffed inside thick brown gloves.

Naruto had no idea of the thing's gender, even as it cocked its head and stared at him as it walked by.

The third, at least, the blue-eyed warrior figured was female. He really hoped it was because his nose caught the scent of a very faint perfume as she moved by. She just had an air of femininity about her too…unless it was another Haku incident and his ability to discern genders was off again. There was always the possibility that this one truly was a girl underneath the body hiding black cloak with only her head visible, except even that was nearly completely covered by thick bandages. Don't forget the horrifying fact there was a combat knife stabbed just above the right eye socket with only the thick handle and a few inches of steel _not_ inserted into her face. Only her hair and left eye were visible; medium-length purple spikes poked out from the areas not bound, and an edgy crimson iris examined everything it could about Naruto as she passed.

Then there was the passenger hitching a ride on top of Ms. Bandage's skull. This one Naruto could see for a _fact_ was pure woman with all her phenomenal curves on display. Despite the fact the second female was doing a perfect handstand off the first's head, no matter what she never had to readjust her posture to keep upright. Her hair was a chocolaty brown that matched her eyes, poking out from underneath a tan knit cap with long bangs and two buns at the nape of her neck. She wore a shiny red jacket with pink fur trim, with the opening in front hanging down to her stomach to expose her large chest only held in place by a simple white bra. Her lower half was barely clothed in red hot pants and knee-high red boots.

As she and the others slid by, the upside-down brunette smiled merrily at Naruto as he tried not to stare at the way she was positively spilling out of her bra.

Thankfully the next guy broke his line of sight before he did something awkward. He was as tall as the first dude, perhaps taller, with dark skin standing out against the paleness of everyone else and black cornrows. His features were rather sharp, with a perpetual grin and beady irises alongside piercings in his ears and left eyebrow. Also the teen had on a tight black short-sleeved shirt covered in a white design similar to the academy's uniform, underneath a long white lab coat. Finishing up his odd mixture of a scientist and boxer, the man wore a set of black boots, vermilion athletic shorts, and red sparring gloves over bandaged fists taped down past the wrist.

Striding past Naruto he nodded good-naturedly at the shorter male before continuing on in his path.

The last to finally pass was literally the most normal looking out of the entire collection; the uniform was perfectly normal, his appearance seemed perfectly normal, and he only glanced at the blond outsider for a normal amount of time with his calm yet blank expression before leaving with the rest of them. The guy had dark blue eyes and long hair of a matching color spiked similar to Sasuke's, but with a thin ponytail as an alternative to the feathery mess composing the back of the Uchiha's scalp.

Each and every one of them exuded an aura of dominance similar to Medaka's.

Turning away Naruto rubbed at his head only to instinctively jerk to the side as something cut through the air where his neck sat only moments before. Muscle memory flared into action as the blond swore something attempted to sever his head from the torso. Living through all he did had given the boy reactive responses that would make any shinobi proud in a combat situation. However...there was absolutely nothing near him. The ones he thought just tried to kill him were down at the end of the hall and looked as if they'd never even turned to look at why he was freaking out.

The hell?

Was he imaging things because of their weird auras, or was he caught in a sudden genjutsu lasting only an instant? Perhaps it was KI? That time with Orochimaru in the Forest of Death quickly sprang to mind. Naruto waited until the odd group disappeared around the corner before exhaling heavily, reaching out to grasp the metallic handle and pulling open the weighty door as the hastily hidden clones popped. If the blond had to make a guess those six were likely a section of the higher powers he felt yesterday when he was scouring the city for any surprises. Just by their physical appearances alone the Uzumaki just knew each of them were strong in their own right and made him wonder if they knew Medaka at all. She was apparently a beast…they all seemed liked beasts…

Out of sight the blue-haired boy clicked his tongue while the kick boxer before him chuckled at the turn of events. It was a bit of a surprise how that blond back there quite easily sidestepped the decapitation. They had been told Hakama had a new lead on an interesting resource, and said asset was on his way there now. It was a complete unknown. But now it somewhat made sense why the chairman wished to have a conversation with this random kid with the strange foreign look.

It was all summed up fairly nicely by the stoic male's observation. "He didn't die."

Unobserved by the sextet, Naruto warily walked inside and into what seemed like a high-class den with plenty of money spent to furnish its insides. Ritzy furniture, pure white walls, and a massive desk at which the big shot on campus guided the institute's daily tasks. When Shiranui said the guy was her grandfather, his first thought was someone similar to the former Sandaime…and he was right. Wrinkled, grey, and when he smiled at the much younger male it was just like Hiruzen's: experienced and prideful.

"Uzumaki Naruto I presume?" Hakama asked, standing from the chair and stepping around the desk with age stooping his posture.

"That's me."

The geriatric's countenance grew warmer as he shuffled towards the set of couches placed at the center of the large room. Gesturing towards the second sofa, Shiranui the Elder sat upon his own cushioned place and smoothed out the folds of his kimono. The moment Naruto was situated Hakama leaned forward and folded his thin limbs upon his lap for a more comfortable meeting after pouring two cups of tea. "My name is Shiranui Hakama. Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice, though I'm actually rather surprised it didn't take longer. Sode-chan only just mentioned you the other day and based upon her viewpoint you seemed like an interesting fellow."

Naruto shook his head, declining the offered refreshment. "Well…Hansode and I didn't really talk until lunch today. I did see her yesterday though, trying to help her friend capture a dog or…whatever Zenkichi was trying to do and failing horribly at."

"A first name basis with my granddaughter already? My, I didn't realize the two of you were already so close after a mere single encounter."

Naruto stared blankly at the grinning man before a spark of realization shot through his brain and he jolted slightly. "Er, no. No t really. I just never cared a lot for using titles and all that." For the most part anyways. Across the way the sly grin slowly drained from the chairman's lips; he chuckled quietly before nodding in agreement a taking a sip of his drink.

"Yes, that sounds like something you'd do, savior of the shinobi lands."

The biggest reaction out of the jinchuriki was a slight widening of the eyes and a twitch in his jaw. Ever so slowly Naruto's hands curled into fists as his mind struggled to classify whether or not this guy was some kind of threat and he'd been lead into a trap. Stupid! He thought he was safe and let his guard down! Even if all the different lands back in the Elemental Nations had banded together for a greater purpose, didn't mean there weren't rogue factions about with their own agendas. No matter how strong he'd become the utter fact they were able to defeat a 'goddess' like Kaguya meant it was possible that glory hounds may be after his head. No one was completely safe but the blond merely figured something like that wouldn't be a factor so far from his homeland.

"So where do we go from here?"

"I can assure you I'm no more powerful than a simple civilian, Uzumaki-kun. Go ahead and check if you so desire."

"But…" Blue irises slowly bled deep red as Naruto tapped into the bare minimum of Kurama's chakra. There was no anger, no contempt. Hakama felt no negativity towards the blond; much quicker to use than trying to gather nature chakra. The boy guessed…he'd believe him for now as he released the powerful energy. "Alright I'm confused."

Hakama's squinted eyes slowly opened to allow him a clear view of the tensed and perplexed toad sage. "You'll find that the Elemental Nations and these outer lands are more interconnected than either side ever realized. Although compared to most, the secret is rather closely guarded to the point only those who are aware may speak of it to each other."

"I find that hard to believe then considering how damn difficult it was for me to get out here."

"We can always debate the complexities of why your home is cloaked from the rest of the world at a later point in time. To get us back on track, when Sode-chan noticed your headband, a Konohagakure one if my memory recalls correctly, she decided to alert me of the rarity that there was now a ninja in our presence. I'm curious as to why you decided to come here of all places."

Naruto shrugged lightly. "My old teacher was going to bring me out here one day but he was killed during all the fighting. After the war I was allowed to take a long vacation, and thought I'd come and see for myself why he wanted us to travel so far away from the village. But wait…Hansode told you? She acted like-"

"-like it was all a big surprise? My granddaughter has always been one for teasing others whenever she can." And Naruto was going to smack himself a midget the next time he saw her. So that entire thing was an act? Ooooh! "Anyways, what is your opinion so far on such a place?"

Calming down, the blond clicked his tongue. "Seems alright so far. Some interesting people, I'll give you that."

"Such as Kurokami Medaka?"

Bright blue eyes watched Shiranui cautiously from their sockets. "…yeah. She wants me to enroll here and doesn't seem to understand it's only temporary."

Hakama began to laugh, a dry yet fulfilled tone. "Indeed! I've only met her in passing myself but it takes only once to see the indomitable spirit she possesses." As his mirth died off the older male shrugged his shoulders. "And have you given her request any thought?"

"Seriously?"

"Why not? This is a school for students who are above the norm. Though we host your average, run-of-the-mill clientele, Hakoniwa is first and foremost an academy for culling the talents. Class 13 alone is filled to the brim with individuals who are so outstanding they had to be given a new label: _Abnormal_. Kurokami Medaka is one such person as you no doubt have noticed."

"She seems pretty outgoing but I haven't seen her doing anything too abnormal or whatever." Trust Naruto to have a skewed view on the subject of irregularity. Taking into account the very crazy experiences he was forced to endure and adapt to, anything he noticed that would send others reeling, more than likely the blond would shrug it off. Medaka in a dog suit causing an actual canine untold mental trauma with her presence alone?

Eh…he'd seen weirder.

Still pretty damn odd though.

"Give it time, give it time. But allow me to explain the differences between the two worlds. In this land there are three types of people based upon their mentality: Abnormals, Specials, and Normals. Think of the first group as something similar to shinobi. They are those with varied, interesting, and extraordinary capabilities while also possessing increased fortitude, endurance, and strength. Their very presence is so overwhelming to lesser beings that it causes unease and restlessness just by being around them. Another problem with this is that they grow arrogant but have an incredible time controlling such power and seek to master it. The second, the Specials…are in the same vein but to a much lesser extent. They excel in a specific area, perhaps sprinting or painting for example. And lastly, Normals would be the civilians of our society. Not much to explain there. Both Specials and Abnormals are afforded scholarships to Hakoniwa in an effort to allow them to flourish and discover their talents."

"That's pretty nice. But still, why would I join? I already know what I'm good at, and I can control it."

"I don't know about Kurokami, but I think you'd have a positive presence on those working to reach their best. And if not that, why not spend most of your vacation around peers on your level who would view you as just 'Uzumaki Naruto'? An interesting boy…and not as a jinchuriki or as their last chance at salvation."

Hakama's voice lowered in pitch as he continued to talk, and if Naruto knew any better his eyes were looking a bit more…darkish? The elder's words about his status didn't bug nor rankle the blond as they once might have. Back in the day he would've jumped through hoops to be considered a regular person, as normal as anyone else despite the large fury entity sealed within his body. But he'd finally come to terms with both the ignorance and hatred his status caused, as well as the very creature inside himself. Hiding that stigma wasn't a problem anymore. Naruto was different; this was fact. But the idea of just hanging around and being viewed as just another teen was rather tempting. No need to enroll? Just kick it with these new friends of his?

It was appealing he'd admit.

"Well…I was going to hang around for awhile anyways. But won't I get in trouble if I'm here and not actually a student? I guess I could stay in the city until they get out but…"

"No worries, my boy! Seek out the old school building on campus. A few jokers have taken to naming it 'Ghost Babel' over the years but I assure you there's nothing wrong with it. An old student currently lives there by himself and it wouldn't hurt to see if he's willing to spare a room. Just tell him the principal is sponsoring your stay." Glancing towards the wall clock Shiranui made a noise of consideration before slowly rising to his feet and patting down his lap. "I apologize but I have another meeting coming up soon, but as I've told everyone else who comes to visit just remember my door will be open for you as well, should you need it."

"Oh…yeah, thanks." Naruto stood at the sudden dismissal but thought nothing of it. The guy ran a school; of course he'd be busy with a set schedule. The ninja only got in so swiftly because he had the approval of the chairman's very own granddaughter most likely. The aged male saw the boy out, only to wait a few seconds before returning to his desk and resting his spine against the ergonomic back. It had actually been a chore, attempting to manipulate the shinobi like that.

He would need to be eased into the concept of the Flask Plan if they wanted to earn his help honestly.

Telling him outright what their machinations would bring would likely earn a swift and complete rebuttal from the boy. What the Thirteen Party and himself were trying to accomplish was essentially the same thing as what Naruto and his accomplices just finished destroying. Their aim was to bring peace to the world…but in a different vein compared to Uchiha Madara. It may not have been the very same, but the parallels were very real, even if the goal was to engineer a cure-all for the hopelessness of the world.

It had been a blessing for such a strong specimen to fall right into their laps as the Uzumaki did. This would need very careful handling to see the blond making this place a long-term residence and join their ranks willingly. Between himself and Hansode, they'd have a better chance. Plus Medaka was doing the work for them as well without her knowledge. Using Naruto as a control would greatly boost their findings…and a few fresh 'samples' wouldn't hurt the research either.

It was maybe half an hour of intense brainstorming before a loud and inconsistent rhythm banged against the door, forcing him from his thoughts. Hakama didn't actually have any other conferences today, he just needed some time to think so this was rather curious. "Enter." he called out only to frown when a very familiar curl of short cerulean hair poked through the opening, followed by the rest of the underdeveloped fifteen year old it was attached to.

"Hiya, Gramps!"

"Sode-chan…why are you not in class?"

The girl waved her hand dismissively before jumping onto one of the couches, bouncing and smirking as she settled in. "It was history period. There were more interesting things going on…so? How'd it go with Wonder Boy?"

Hakama sighed at his descendant's blatant truancy but did nothing to follow up with any sort of punishment. Like magic an aid was already setting down a meal fit for a king in front of the female, who inhaled so happily the older person was surprised she didn't faint. Closing his eyes the white-haired male began rubbing gnarled fingers through his beard, a sight Hansode knew far too well. "I believe it went rather well. If anything, Uzumaki-kun will at least be staying for awhile. I did not blatantly speak about the Flask Plan but I introduced him to the concept of Abnormals in terms he would understand."

"But will he even help once he knows the entire thing?" she asked sarcastically.

"That will be the tricky part. Of someone on his advanced level, it requires a careful hand to make sure he does not become our enemy."

"Well if he's gonna be around…what about…it's inevitable that there will be fighting." Shiranui junior lightly wagged a finger slightly covered in soy sauce. "We know Abnormals will probably fight Uzumaki simply on principal of who he is and the strength he holds. Without any testing the best guess we can make is he's a Normal with the added benefit of chakra that all people from the Elemental Nations have. So why not twist that to our advantage?"

"Like I said it would have to be handled very delicately then. Damage control, which I expect to be run by you at the most opportune moments, must be swift and effective. It would add to your duties though; can you handle the extra responsibility?"

"Just give me all the specifics on your meeting and let me be the judge of that." Shiranui said with half-closed eyes and an arrogant smirk aimed towards her grandfather. Hakama merely continued stroking his goatee while the teenage loli pulled out her phone and quickly typed something up. A minute later the deed was done and she proceeded to put the electronics away and dig back in to her supply of food. "Sending the Thirteen Party on his tail by our terms should yield some pretty good results, don't you think?"

"…what exactly did you do?"

"Nothing too big." The bluenette explained, waving a small hand casually in the air while a few noodles dangled from between her lips. "I just sent a message to a certain subgroup that can get results."

Picking up on her meaning, the normally genial old man lost his smile, closed eyes cracking open to reveal plain those aged blue pupils the same as his descendant. "This is a gamble you're taking."

"I know. But it was only a matter of dangling something in front of their noses that they _couldn't _ignore. And because of the seed I planted before your meeting he should stick around long enough to make sure everything works out. Don't worry, I left the Front Six and the Only One out of this. They've got other things to worry about in their lives. " Hansode finished with finality before lowering her head and stuffing an arm back into the large meal placed in front of her on the table. The chairman wished she would have elaborated some more on her choice but ultimately let it go; his granddaughter was just as crafty and cunning as any other member of their family. Like a switch she could go from being wide-eyed and vivacious to a more devious, non-innocent stature. If young Hansode had a plan to curry favor and gather data on the intricacies of their shinobi visitor then he would allow it for the greater good of his campaign.

Something was bugging him though…

"I'm somewhat surprised you're even making these attempts to speed up production. You've already explained you have no interest in the Flask Plan."

"I don't." the bluenette snarked before releasing a cute little burp that belied just how much food she packed away. "But it's kinda interesting to see where it all goes…"

Elsewhere, six separate people pulled out their cell phones as each felt the device either vibrate or start to ring. Considering the fact barely any others knew their numbers it was somewhat surprising they had gotten a text at all, making them retrieve the objects and see what it was about. It was from the granddaughter of Chairman Shiranui which instantly put each and every one of them on their toes.

'…_How'd she get my number?_' every single one of them thought as their eyes flicked through the wall of words and the accompanying picture of a dimwitted boy in horrendous clothes and expressive features.

**Attention all members of the Plus Six! It is I, the great Shiranui-chan! I know you normally don't care about the school unless it directly relates towards the Flask Plan but I've got some big news to share. There's been a mysterious person hanging around the campus despite not being a student and he's going to cause a stir the longer he remains in the area.**

**I know, I know, you're probably asking why I'm telling you this. Well…the thing is he's really, really strong. Strong enough to even stand up to the scarily superhuman Student Council President Kurokami Medaka, I think. But get this: Uzumaki Naruto is NORMAL! While he can still do some pretty funky stuff, everything he can do is not actually an abnormality at all! If he sticks around, who knows what could happen to the Flask Plan?**

**Just thought you might wanna know!**

**~The Lovely Shiranui Hansode, Purveyor of the World's Knowledge!**

…

…

A mere Normal supposedly possessed the power to match up against an Abnormal? Suffice to say the curiosity of the sextet was piqued, although their varying levels of loathing towards Earth's greatest majority poisoned the direction of their interest. While she hadn't said it outright, Shiranui's innocent little text essentially called them out and said a Normal was just as special as they were. Someone without a unique power to call their own and showed why they were an improvement over their race.

This just wouldn't do.

* * *

Zenkichi wondered just how many times he'd be placed in dangerous situations like these. The kendo incident = he'd been sucker punched (i.e. beaten with a bokuto while unawares), and the Borzoi hunt had him mauled. The other request concerning the track team had actually been resolved quite civilly, but that had been the only one so far without violence. Meeting with Kanoya-senpai wasn't even a Medaka Box application and yet still the blond found himself kicking the shit out of others who would mean him harm.

That is to say…Hitoyoshi actually initiated the brawl this time but he'd stand by his claim.

Kanoya and his goons wanted to threaten and hurt Medaka. This was something Zenkichi would never allow, even though the delinquents were a million years behind in planning to ever even damage the purplenette. Then again…Medaka was so dead set on reforming those with negative views she would have likely just stood there, welcomed the guys, and proceeded to lecture them with her inhuman influence to the point they either gave up midway through the assault or reconciled. And…she wouldn't have even lifted a finger to stop them should they actually make to hit her during the enthralling speech.

But one of the blond's dreams was to protect Medaka. She could do anything. Her, with her curvaceous body and genius IQ. But because she _could_ doanything Zenkichi just couldn't leave her alone, even when he tried to distance himself. There had to be a buffer between her incredulous nature and the normal masses. Who else could take on that responsibility? So…like it or not, the freshman of Class 1 was that very man.

Walking into the unused classroom the first thing he noticed was a gathering of the tougher looking individuals that came to Hakoniwa. They all stopped talking the moment Medaka's Number Two slid open the classroom's shoji and leaned up against the paneling. Kanoya lit up in joy at his arrival, masking the surprise he felt of Hitoyoshi actually showing up. If he was here then that meant he had to agree with the dark-haired junior and his views.

But what did the blond do?

He destroyed the box of melee weapons the goons were stockpiling and then kicked Hisshuu straight across the room. Zenkichi's physical strength was well above average, but that was more due to him needing to push himself hard to stick with Medaka (as well as a survival instinct caused by her insane demands). But then he had to beat down the other guys who rushed to defend their leader and…well, it snowballed. The deed was done though and the Normal had finished Kanoya's verbal request with the _utmost_ care. The blue-eyed teen with possible delinquency tendencies all of his own let the school nurse know about the injured, to which she merely sighed, muttered something unintelligible, and thanked him for his assistance with a phony smile.

So…this happened on a daily basis or something?

As he reached for the solid wooden gate leading into the student council room, Zenkichi let his fingers brush over the handle before simply resting there as he decided how to proceed. Should he tell Medaka the truth or just gloss over it? The purplenette would likely want the exact details of their encounter because he just caught her walking into the lunchroom with Naruto as he was leaving. Urg, but then she'd likely go after them all and make them reform and honestly the blond just wanted to call it a day…

The door slid open, effectively stopping the boy from having to worry. Speak of the devil…kind of. Naruto blinked in surprise as his leg locked and stopped himself from barreling into Zenkichi, sidestepping around the morose blond with the intense thoughts. Just over the ninja's shoulder the first-year could see Medaka at her desk but oddly enough the striking woman appeared at a loss with her furrowed brow and mild frown.

"Hiya Zenkichi. Sorry, got somewhere to be. See ya later!"

"Uh yeah…bye." he said to the boy's quickly retreating back. Looked like someone was in a hurry to go someplace. Well, whatever. That kid was a mystery and a handful all in one, and they'd only known each other for a few days. Finally deciding to take the plunge the man walked inside and nodded towards his childhood friend and her gloomy expression. "What's got you so down in the dumps? Naruto turn you down again?"

"Yes but that is not the reason for my mood." The woman gracefully took a sip from her teacup to wet her throat, setting it down and relaxing her posture slightly. "Every time he refuses it brings me a little closer towards victory. But this…he came to me and asked me for…the location of Ghost Babel."

Zenkichi's mouth fell open in astonishment. "Why the hell would he want to go there?"

"According to Second-year Uzumaki, his talks with the chairman lead to a conversation about living arrangements while in the city. The old school building was brought up as a close at hand and ideal resort to which he came to me for directions. Nothing I could say would dissuade him…so eventually I gave the information."

"He'll learn what a big mistake that is once he gets there."

"I suppose so…" Medaka actually shivered lightly against her backrest before recovering from the feeling and dramatically pointing a finger at her friend. "Now then: tell me how things went with Kanoya the Second-year, and spare no detail!" Ah, dammit…with slumped shoulders Hitoyoshi made his way to the front of her desk to give his report. Spare no detail, she says…

Would saying that he took care of it really not suffice?

* * *

**So much trickery going on. Now if you'll excuse me I've got a few more of these to fix up before I stop procrastination on my school projects.**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: See first chapter

* * *

Chapter 3:

* * *

The building was tall, took up a fair amount of space out near the back woods of the academy grounds, and covered in what Naruto deemed an unnecessary amount of jutting rooms sticking out from its exterior. It was at least ten stories tall with oddly positioned windows that more or less looked as though someone decided to stick a new area on here or there, ultimately constructing upwards without much reason behind it. A high stone wall just as decrepit as the main structure surrounded the property to give it a sense of privacy and, just by appearance alone, made the entire former learning structure a foreboding yet iconic sight to behold since its creation forty years ago. Compared to the bright colors and cheerful atmosphere of the rest of the sweeping schoolyard its dark presence completely offset the mood. It wasn't really that bad though; Ghost Babel's name creeped the blond out more than its actual looks.

With his customary scroll slung over his shoulder and once again free of the transformation jutsu the blond lifted his fist and knocked.

Apparently the person barely ever left the building which meant someone was bound to answer. For ten minutes though he was left outside, even when he continued to hit the door louder and louder until _finally_ he heard muffled movement coming from within. Sighing in annoyance Naruto waited as patiently as he could; his sandals tapped against the stone underfoot as the door creaked open on its hinges to expose the lone person who apparently called this ragtag assembly of abandoned classrooms their home. It was a male perhaps a few years older than him, yawning as if he just woke up while slowly shrugging on a wine-colored shirt. The ninja thought he caught sight of the edge of a few stitched scars on the man's thin frame before they vanished underneath the dark cloth but it happened too quickly to truly tell.

"Sorry about that…I had a long night. Can I help you with something?"

With his cultured voice, waist-length purple hair with long bangs parted down the center, two antennae strands on the top, and crimson eyes, Naruto believed he was looking at a male version of Medaka dressed in casual clothes. But unlike the president who always seemed to wear her crisp uniform this guy had on violet wristbands, a thin necklace, green jeans, and a thick belt with a skull belt buckle and wallet chain in addition to his purplish top. Whereas Medaka looked prim and proper, the advisor of the building looked like his informal sloppy appearance was no big deal and he could handle whatever was thrown at him. And yet while the school's reigning official was undeniably beautiful, this one somehow matched her looks with his own unusually handsome features.

Pretty weird.

Slapping on a friendly smile the jinchuriki stuck out his hand. "Hi. My name's Uzumaki Naruto, and I was told by the chairman if I came and talked to the manager of this place I might have a place to stay for the remainder of my vacation."

The purple-haired man looked the shinobi up and down; arms folded over his chest as he leaned against the wall with a thoughtful expression on his face while taking in the boy's odd look before slowly nodding and completing the blond's handshake. "…that's…new. I've never had anyone try and bunk here with me since this isn't exactly an inn, and for a vacation no less. It's a big surprise but I suppose you can at least come in for now while we sort this out. I'm Kurokami Maguro, a pleasure."

Naruto's handshake was strong, far too strong for any sort of Normal but if Shiranui thought pointing the boy in his direction was a wise choice then the teen had to be a special type of human. But _why _it was prudent to have him stick around was the main question. This simple touch had Maguro's abnormality going into overdrive while telling him all kinds of specific information about the male's build and training regime. Naruto had really put himself through hell. He filed that away mentally.

The spark was over in an instant as their conjoined hands broke away and the blond started eyeing him strangely. "So that's why you look so much like Medaka. Are you her…brother or something?"

Maguro began smiling way too widely, teeth shining in the sunlight as his chest puffed out in pride. "The brother of the most beautiful young woman in the world."

"Er…well she _is_ pretty I guess."

"Right!?" he exclaimed intensely before sighing and deflating in his spot. Setting a hand against his forehead the purple-haired Abnormal suddenly groaned in dismay. "My fondest wish is that she comes to visit me sometime…but it never happens. I suppose it's only natural though; with her being the Student Council President her time is rather limited."

"Does she know you're even on campus?"

"Oh Medaka-chan knows…but she gets flustered whenever she's around her adoring sibling. I can't blame her. We love each other so very much and I wouldn't want her to be embarrassed when she has such an important job to do."

Medaka…flustered? Embarrassed? Naruto had a _very_ hard time imagining that. For example, before their tour began that day he went to the clubroom and knocked to see if she was inside. Her melodic voice welcomed him in and, seeing absolutely no problem with her request, did as was told without a care. And there she was!...stripped to her skivvies and staring into a full-length mirror for no apparent reason other than she could. The flowery yellow lingerie complemented her snowy skin as she looked over her shoulder at the stumped blond with a light grin. She didn't even care, and openly admitted that for her to possess shame over her ample figure was insane, and hiding it from the world was madness.

It explained why she couldn't ever seem to contain her cleavage at all.

Naruto's cheeks took forever to stop burning and Medaka seemed to take silent enjoyment out of his discomfort. Or maybe he was just imagining that, and she just believed exposing her figure was a gift. Even now the memory was…

The shinobi had to shake his head to clear his mind of the lingering exhibitionism. Now was clearly not the time to even think about something like that, and in front of her older brother wasn't a very smart idea. With a faint cough Naruto just gave a curt nod. "I'm sure she'll come around eventually." he added before shrugging his shoulder to readjust the thick traveler's strap. Maguro's keen eyes traced over the oddly feudal era scroll the size of a log hanging down the boy's back and the sight somehow rekindled the obvious reason why Naruto had come in the first place. The blond mentioned he was on break and something that big had to be involved in some way. But how? Maguro didn't have a clue but there was no time like the present to find out.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Where are my manners? You're here for a reason and instead we're just shooting the breeze on my front porch. Please come inside." Turning around, the lanky male waved a hand over his shoulder for Naruto to come with. Since it wasn't an actual home there wasn't an area to set your shoes so the jinchuriki just rushed in with the intent to persuade the guy so he'd have a new temporary apartment room for the time being. They passed a few rooms on the ground floor before reaching the stairs, going up two flights, and disappearing down another hallway. It was unknown where they were going but Naruto's sudden double-take as they passed a large opening had him chugging to a halt, stopping, looking again and then backing up until he was in front of the mysterious sight.

The pair had passed a simple unbolted door with a wider expanse than the others. It was possibly an old study hall, and the Uzumaki brawler had taken a casual look as they walked by only for his brain to fizzle as the images tried to sync up with rational thought. He barely registered when Maguro appeared at his elbow and smiled at the room's interior with a satisfied air about him. "Remarkable isn't it?"

"…w-what…the…hell…"

The entire span of the room took up at least two classrooms worth of space, as well as having spiral staircase leading both up and down to the next level. But the size of the place wasn't what drew Naruto's appalled attention, but the sheer amount of memorabilia coating the walls and floor was mindboggling. And every single piece in some way, shape, or form was unequivocally linked towards the one and only Kurokami Medaka. Pictures. Paintings. Dolls. Mats. Rugs. Videos. So on and so forth. All of varying ages of his li' sis in a diverse array of expressions. If it could be stenciled with the purplenette's pretty mug then Maguro had it. The crazy guy even had replicas of the uniforms or outfits she'd worn over the years framed and hanging up like trophies.

It was incredibly disturbing.

Naruto blinked out of his stupor only to see the thin man standing in front of the far wall where a few video monitors rested on movable stands. Alternate views of Medaka's profile graced each screen while Maguro stared at them wistfully, shifting his weight to put his hands on his hips when Naruto came in gingerly as though he were scared of the place. From every approach and every angle it seemed as though the unusual woman with modesty issues was watching him unblinkingly, so yes the blue-eyed sage was a bit put off. It was very unnerving. "You know this is really freaky right?" he finally asked to the preening teen at his side. Ghost Babel's manager just flashed him an easygoing grin.

"So I've been told, but my love for her is too strong to be damaged by the observations of others."

"And you don't have a problem with…" Naruto glanced at a nearby desk where there was a mouse pad with Medaka's face and upper body plastered over the front with the lower section padded and raised to look like her breasts. That wasn't strange or anything. He was really searching for a word to not offend this guy but it was pretty hard. "…how…_obsessed_…you are with her?"

Maguro spun to look at the blond as his lengthy hair flipped out behind him. With one fist still against his waist he raised the other into the air like a sign of victory. "As her perverted older brother, there isn't anything about my dear younger sister that I could possibly hate! Why should I be ashamed of my unflappable love for her? No other female comes even close to Medaka-chan, and never will! This room is my shrine to her wonderment!"

With pursed lips the blond eventually started smacking his face with his palm. This was too much; Jiraiya had a new rival for title of super pervert. There were stark differences between the two but in the end both were crazy about women. Or one specific one, in Maguro's case. But Naruto was supposed to be on holiday right now…and he could shoulder a person's insanity, if it merely pertained to an unnatural but tame obsession.

"Um…yeah. Anyways, about that room? Hopefully one on the other end of the building?"

"Oh. Right. It just keeps slipping my mind. I do get so very passionate about my sibling." Ushering the blond out towards the room he chose to conduct business (any that ever reached the lonely little building), Maguro lead the boy into a room across the hall that was once a computer lab but now only had the furniture left, sans the electronics. They kept getting off topic. Maybe it would just be easier to pick a place on the ground level for business to save time instead of one near his darling sister-shrine? Plopping down on one of the vacant computer chairs the purplenette immediately got down to business. "So…mind explaining why I was chosen to host you? Start from the beginning."

Naruto shrugged, having set his burden on the floor near his feet. "I don't really know. I came to town a few days ago, sensed some strong people, and wound up here. I met your sister and her friend Zenkichi, she really wants me to join the school for some reason, and today she was giving me a tour. The little midget Shiranui said it would be a good idea to talk to the chairman and so I did. He seemed interested in me sticking around too and then mentioned I might have a place to stay right here if you let me."

"That's a very shortened version I take it, but I think I understand the gist behind it all. Did Principal Shiranui…happen to mention anything in regards to something the school is attempting to do?"

"Noooo…? What do you mean?"

Maguro cupped his chin thoughtfully before shaking his head. "Oh never mind. Perhaps I'm just being paranoid." Because after absorbing Naruto's impressive stats, if the curly-headed elder hadn't seen fit to try and persuade this strong person into his plans then either Shiranui had no idea what Naruto was capable of and was merely being incredibly cordial to the stranger…or there was more at stake. No matter the angle, if the blond was here under Maguro's roof then the teen could keep a close eye on him. It would allow the also allow the Abnormal more time to understand the boy's strength which didn't register as an abnormality and yet still surpassed normal human standards.

And he was also a link to his stunning sister!

Naruto just nodded once to try and move along the conversation. "O…kay? So am I good?"

"Are you able to pay for a room? I hate to just drop that on you but this building is on school grounds and still wired into the main utilities. I'm liable for all expenses like electricity and water."

A soft sigh escaped the ninja even though he figured rent was to be expected. Reaching back towards the pouch hanging from his waist, the blond male pulled out frog wallet he'd owned for years and rolled its distended shape in his palms. With a snap the metallic clasp poised as the object's mouth opened and allowed Maguro a glimpse of golden metal and purplish paper. "How much?"

"Ah…" The taller man cocked an eyebrow at the unfamiliar currency. "Don't you have any yen?"

"Now that you mention it, they did say something about a money exchange when I first came here but I was in a rush to look around. Guess I should have l listened better, huh?" Naruto answered while scratching his cheek. A moment later he retrieved a small handful of shiny coins that looked like feudal Japanese money and dropped them on the nearby table, piling them up in a neat mound. He'd been granted a very hefty bonus and unknowing how long he would actually be gone the blond had taken out a nice chunk of change for his journey, letting him survive for half a year before needing to return. Much long than that if he stretched it out, since it wasn't like the guy didn't have survival training to fall back on. "This was the amount of ryou I had to pay for my place every month. It was one room, with a side bathroom, and not very pricy. But if I'm only renting a bed and the amenities then it should be about the same."

The purple-haired one slowly rolled one of the coins between his fingers, trying to discern if this was some sort of joke. But…no, these were actually real gold. Impressive. Ryou, eh? Maguro supposed there could be some type of compromise.

"This won't buy you anything because no country, at least that I know of, has used these for centuries. You won't find them anywhere except buried in the ground or rusting in a museum." Which really raised the question of how Naruto had so many of them in prime condition. Maguro exhaled with some trepidation; yet another entry to the new list of why this blond needed to be watched over. It was like Naruto was displaced outside of some ancient civilization way, way behind on the times. As the older Kurokami mentioned this, the shinobi's face fell into a grouchy frown.

"I don't remember how to get back to the exchange either…." He recalled what the building looked like but that was it. Sage Mode was a possibility, to sense out the minority of chakra-users who manned Konoha's veiled entrance into the wider world but all these Abnormals would interfere with his awareness. And Naruto was on vacation. Vacation, dammit! As helpful as it would be to simply find his way back after expectantly getting lost in the unfamiliar city, the jinchuriki was in no current mood to waste precious goof off and/or training time. He'd backtrack sometime later.

Even if the war was over and he had gained a few _ridiculous_ power ups, exercise or pranking always passed the time and helped lose some stress. Once he settled here with Maguro the blond was going to do just that. Then come back, clean himself up, and hit the hay. He hadn't experienced a violent clone free-for-all punchfest in some time either…

Maguro mistook the lad's squinted frown for something else and quickly snagged the oval piece of metal out of the air after sending it end over end with his thumb. He scooped up the rest while his intelligent mind discerned where he would get them appraised, who to sell them to, or which of the Kurokami contacts he should use to smelt them down. His clan might have been ungodly loaded but the purple-haired man had a keen eye for business. He'd find something to do with the gold coins. "Tell you what. I'll accept these this time but bill collectors are a bit more finicky. If you want to stick around after the first month then you'll need to find yourself a way to earn modern currency."

It was acceptable, and Naruto begrudgingly nodded his head before wondering if he'd truly still be around in that amount of time. But Maguro's suggestion of finding money for this country had some merit to it. The question was how he was going to find some without getting a job…or maybe his tentative landlord could help him exchange the cash somehow. Either way he was going to put it off for awhile. Vacation!

"Yeah sure, that sounds okay." the ninja agreed before he was shown to a room. The third floor was essentially entitled to Medaka's glory; the rest of the vacant quarters simply hadn't been renovated yet. The bottom/first level had a few empty offices and classrooms as well as the administrators' room with the staircase allowing Maguro a quick route up to his place of worship. Anything above the third wasn't really used…so that left the second. Living quarters/kitchen/bathing area/other was situated there since it all fit anyways. Naruto was shown to a room completely devoid of anything (it's not like this was a hotel after all) only a few doors down from the eldest Kurokami and then left to settle in.

Shrugging to himself, he unsealed his bedroll and a few other items to stick around the room before nodding. It was getting late and, having nothing to currently do, the boy decided he'd just sleep it out. Knowing this place…well, when somebody like Medaka was in charge it was likely the days following this one would be filled with shenanigans.

The ball started rolling before the blond ever showed up. Now he was just stuck along for the ride.

* * *

Maguro watched in conflicting halves of amazement, confusion, and a little bit of envy as Naruto churned out pushups as quickly and easily as it was for a human to unconsciously breathe. Because of his former actions with Class 13 his own body would never reach its full potential, not that he really minded. The guy wasn't a fighter; he was a researcher and trainer. But the fact his new 'roommate' seemed so at ease with working out lit up a small flame of jealousy towards his own manhood. But Maguro could quash that emotion simply with the fact he didn't see a reason for the ninja to work so vigorously.

There was no need.

"You do realize that there's not much point in trying to raise your physical potential? The human body can only be conditioned so much, especially a Normal. By the looks of it you're already at the limit." he said, casually waving a hand at the blond's body. Naruto had foregone a shirt after starting to sweat which allowed his slim but muscled physique out in the open. The visitor just exhaled noisily and sat up, rotating his arms and sending a dry glare towards the one standing in his doorway. The jinchuriki hadn't expected a visitor since he'd slept in for once but Maguro had shown up anyways about half an hour after he awoke.

"I've always been different. And there's not really a limit on strength where I come from, unless you decide not to go for it." Gai and Lee were the greatest examples of a person reaching the proverbial ceiling of their strength and then busting through it like a rampaging elephant strapped to a rocket. Perhaps it was because of how intimate chakra was with a person's cells, or that those with said energy were predetermined to just be more resilient, but that's just how it seemed to go. The Magician of Hakoniwa had seen the beastly strength the Uzumaki possessed because of his **Analysis** skill but the maximum had been fuzzy.

At his words the older male merely raised an eyebrow but stored that away as well. "Yes well, anyways…I was on my way to the kitchen for a snack before I was sidetracked by your exercise. Would you like anything as well?"

"Ramen."

Maguro made a slight face before shaking his head. "That's more of a meal and it's only a little bit after the last school bell. Perhaps you would care for something like a small bento?"

"Oh, uh sure. I suppose." Pulling his sleep shirt back on, Naruto moved off to clean himself up first before walking to the kitchen. By the time he got back there was a small blue box placed before an empty chair with a set of waiting chopsticks. Maguro was already leisurely picking up pieces of rice and octopus and chewing them in a proper manner, most likely caused by his upbringing. Surprisingly the ingredients inside of the shinobi's was neatly packed and separated by food; honestly he was shocked that it wasn't somehow a picture of Medaka within crafted out of the chow. It was still pretty darn good though for being just a cheap and ready-to-go meal.

Then again, Naruto's version of inexpensive vastly differed from his host's.

Dabbing his mouth with a napkin, the older teen stood up "Would you mind cleaning up? I've got to check up on my Medaka cam. Rumor has it she's visiting another club today to answer a request and I'm curious as to what she has in store for them."

"…seriously? You can't just throw it out?" Then the depth of his words hit Naruto? "Wait, a cam? Like a camera? That's creepy." Like the rest of Maguro's focus on his baby sister. Especially if he had it following her around somehow.

"But of course. I have the right as her sibling to check up on Medaka-chan at all hours of the day."

"But wait, I hung around her for a bit the last few days. If you watch her then shouldn't you have known who I was?"

A mannish hand waved lazily through the air as the thin male walked towards the door. "I don't use them that often. Besides, I use the school's own security system and I don't want to overdo the privilege. It's not like they really mind my interference though…or know about it." And then he was out of the room.

Naruto shook his head as he cleaned up the containers. But too dang curious for his own right eventually caused the blond to trace his steps back to the 'Medaka Room' to see what all the fuss was about. He found Maguro in front of a computer screen far more advanced than the low-tech ones they had back in the Elemental Nations with a hand idly rubbing his chin as he watched the action through one of the hacked cameras tampered with to give him a bit of an eye inside the school. A quick peek over the shoulder let the sage see what he was seeing, a training room with wooden floors and a bevy of students dressed in white training uniforms. They were all waiting along the walls, watching as two of them in the middle of the area viciously grappling with each other.

Ah…one of them was Zenkichi and he was getting his ass beat by the other guy. A man with dark yellowish eyes and neck-length blond hair with only one unruly spike (unlike Naruto and poor Hitoyoshi) poking off from the top of his windswept locks. With his athletic build, charming looks, and the winning smirk adorning his face as he seamlessly tossed his opponent around, Naruto started disliking him on principle alone. Maguro's voice stopped the ninja from focusing on the vicious throws continuously slamming his newest buddy into the unyielding ground.

"Well I must admit I was not expecting to see him today at all."

"And who is _that_?" Naruto demanded.

"His name is Akune Kouki, a top member of the judo club, a second-year, and a Special. He's also someone that has known my dear sister and the boy he's currently pummeling since middle school. To make a long story short he was a major delinquent back then that everyone was terrified of…up until he met Medaka-chan of course. He couldn't handle her personality and it led to him…" Maguro swallowed heavily, as though his next words were unbelievable and even a little peeved. "-him…becoming completely _enamored_ with her. It was commonplace to see people infatuated with my delightful imouto but it was incredibly rare for someone to reach _that_ high a level. Not as much as me of course, but still."

"So why's he beating the crap out of Zenkichi then?" the blond asked as said teen's spine cracked into the floor for the seventh time in a row while the supermodel-esque president kneeled against the wall in a perfectly formal fashion. Standing next to her was another pretty female with short and choppy light green hair and purple eyes, grinning impishly and reminding the visiting jinchuriki of a cat. They kept speaking to one another as they viewed the match, although the live feed didn't come with any sound and therefore the chakra-user couldn't hear any of it.

"Think about it Naruto-san. He's known my sister since they were children and yet has admitted about actively trying to get away from her influence. Akune-san takes that as a major slap in the face; Zenkichi spends nearly all his moments with her and yet the one who has pledged his heart to Medaka-chan doesn't get to. Since they first met those two have taken every opportunity they can to belittle each other."

"So he's jealous."

"Uh, yes."

"Did he challenge Zenkichi?"

"Not exactly. From reading their lips I was able to ascertain that a bet was formed by Nabeshima Nekomi-san." The Abnormal pointed towards the smug gal next to Medaka. "She is attempting to find a replacement captain for the club since she'll be graduating this year but it seems there's more to her appeal than it first appears to let on. Her plan appears to revolve around Zenkichi-kun…if Akune-san reaches ten points and defeats him, then those two will switch positions and she'll have a new underclassman to work and mold into an ideal judo master."

Naruto scratched his chin in thought. "And how many does Zenkichi need?"

"Only one. But therein lies the problem. Akune Kouki is a genius at the art of judo and, as we both can see, is easily destroying the competition at nine points to zero. Nabeshima-san is quite the wily woman to have set this all up. Trade the genius already skilled at the art without room for improvement for the one who's only as good as the amount of training he's endured."

Well...as if stuff like that didn't sound familiar to Naruto.

"But Zenkichi has known Medaka for a long time right? I may not know either of them that well but if he's stuck around your crazy sister for all that time then he's got to be stronger than he looks."

For a Normal to remain side by side with an Abnormal, the blond-haired boy had to push himself far past his limits. Even then he was nowhere near that of an Abnormal, or even some of the Specials skulking around. But he still tried and for something like this, that's what really mattered. Perhaps his little warning to Hitoyoshi back when he was in grade school and Maguro was in junior high had really done the trick? Seeing the male pull a complete reversal on Akune and throw him to the ground caused a small upturn of his lips at the sight.

"It is as you say Naruto-san."

He still didn't think Zenkichi was worthy of his gorgeous sister...but there _was_ some potential. He'd give the beaten teenager that much at least. But it all banked on Medaka's presence. The question was, could the boy still have pulled through if his pretty little sibling hadn't opened her mouth to 'encourage' him into pulling out a win? Medaka complaining about him leaving her and making her cry...

That brat sure as hell better not make her shed any tears!

* * *

Meanwhile said girl tightened the belt of her judo uniform as she rose from her dignified kneeling position with her eyes closed; only the slight smile proved to express her feelings on the matter as a defeated sigh escaped from the female standing near her seat. The captain of the Judo Club had made quite the deal, one easily in her favor...but of course Zenkichi would win. She had cheered him on after all. And her encouragement was all he ever needed.

"Awww~! That sucks so much! I was hoping Zenkichi would join the team but I guess you win this round Kurokami-chan! I never really expected the genius to lose to the one who's so normal!"

The President wiped at her skirt, having only changed her top to the proper attire (yet still tied loose enough to expose her cleavage) before turning to the speaker and her odd bravado. Even in failure Nabeshima Nekomi the Third Year could sound like a chipper and self-satisfied individual even as she barely hid her shock at the outcome. Continuing to smile, Medaka appraised her senpai with a neutral look before unfolding her fan and setting it in front of her face.

"That's because there's no real difference between the two. All that's there is someone who earnestly tries their best. You and I? We have no difference either." She ignored the look of shock on Nekomi's face, especially because Medaka had already ascertained the other girl's opinion on the subject of geniuses. She disliked them immensely and appeared to hold a grudge towards the way they could gain strength and influence without difficulty. Akune may have been brilliant at judo but compared to the 'Princess', her star athlete didn't even come close. Disrupting Akune Kouki and humiliating him for being so skilled would have been detrimental to her own club, and therefore she never acted on the urge. Yet now she was on her way out and things had changed.

But having him defeat the biggest genius around by way of her best friend (a complete and utter _non_-genius) and taking him away from her through a simple bet would have been the ultimate embarrassment. She liked the weak underdogs so much more; they usually had the guts to keep pushing forward in the face of adversity.

Unknown to most, it was the exact same debate that happened more than once between Orochimaru and Jiraiya of the Sannin, mirrored in their own choice of apprentices.

Ah, but Nabeshima's dream of training Zenkichi to the limit to show that a genius who barely worked for their skills was worse off than a loser with guts was put on hold. Training him for half a year and then pitting the freshman against Akune again was no longer a thing. But Medaka's words...purposefully or not, had made sense to the crafty senior. She might have originally visited the club in order to help discover the replacement captain but there was no harm in reforming someone on the side. It had only taken a few words though; a personal best, or simply that Nabeshima-senpai wasn't very corrupted by her negative outlook.

Snapping her fan closed, the Kurokami daughter slid the item into her pocket before taking a step forward. "Anyways you will simply have to make do with someone from your own club. That is why we are here, is it not? Now that the contest has passed I shall resume my search for your replacement."

"Ehhh, don't worry about it anymore." Placing her hands against the hips hidden underneath her uniform, the green-haired senior allowed a feline grin to slip onto her face. "Oi! Jounan! Congratulations! You're the new club captain after I leave!"

Jounan Betsuhei, vice-captain and the only member brave enough to try and throw Medaka when she first arrived to start the search, stepped back in downright surprise at the older girl's shout. Rubbing at his spiky brown hair the boy eventually bowed proudly at the grinning female for his sudden rise in status. "T...thank you, senpai!"

"Maaa~...anyways Kurokami-chan. I suppose in thanks for your help, I've got something for you as well. Akune might have quite the judo form but did you also know he has really clear handwriting?"

Immediately picking up on the hint, Medaka released a small smirk of her own. "Oh? Eligible writing is always a must if you are looking to make an impression. I may have to speak with him more in the future."

"I'm glad that's settled then."

"And what will you do now, Nabeshima the Third-year?"

"Me? I guess graduate, ya know? I'm not too worried right now. But I'll tell you one thing..." The athletic woman raised a hand in a cat-like gesture and winked towards the purple-haired beauty. "I haven't given up on Hitoyoshi yet."

"Go ahead. If Zenkichi truly wishes to be taken under your wing for any reason then I have no problem with that. However, it is his decision to make."

"In that case I think I'll try seducing him, neh? They don't call me the Foul King for nothing." For emphasis the girl undid the top of her gi, exposing the full extent of the red sports bra underneath as well as the generous swell of her chest. "I ain't as big as you but Hitoyoshi seems like the straight-laced sort of guy. A few touches here, some innuendo there, and I'll have my claws in him...because after all...I'm not known for being the honest type~!"

Medaka straightened her back as he hands dropped to her hips, speaking airily as her chest bounced with an audible 'boing'. "Do as you wish!"

Meanwhile as the two girls were apparently having a 'breast-off', Zenkichi had actually decided to be the better man despite completely disliking Akune Kouki. Reaching out his arm, he watched as the junior stared in minor surprise at the gesture before taking the hand and rising to his feet. With a sigh the taller blond straightened his top. "To be shown kindness by a bug. How embarrassing."

"Don't forget this _bug_ just beat you."

Akune snorted condescendingly. "After defeating you nine times in a row. Just remember, had this been a proper match you would have failed within the first minute." Leaving behind his arch-nemesis, the one aptly named the 'Prince of Judo' stepped over to his captain and bowed respectfully before turning and also doing so to the love of his life. "I apologize for my loss. Please excuse me Nabeshima-senpai, Medaka-san."

"Don't take it too hard Akune-kun. You did well."

Nodding politely he walked away to the dressing room, remaining prideful even in defeat despite looking totally un-cool in front of the President. Zenkichi eventually made his way over looking far more haggard than the trained judo athlete. Taking his place near Medaka, the General Affairs Manager ran the back of his hand along his sweaty brow before feeling a twinge in his side. Oh great, he probably had a muscle out of whack from getting flipped like a ragdoll.

"You think I can switch places with Naruto? A vacation sounds pretty good right about now."

Medaka's look, which easily conveyed he was out of his mind, was overshadowed by the obvious curiosity Nekomi emitted at the freshman's tired exclamation. Especially when the girl sidled up next to him and threw an arm around his shoulder. "Ooo~ who's that supposed to be? Somebody else you dragged onto the Student Council?"

Hitoyoshi flushed slightly as the green-haired captain's endowment pressed up against his side but didn't let it affect him, especially with his childhood friend staring at them with a far too calm expression. "No...not exactly. It's complicated."

"Second-year Uzumaki is somebody who will be joining Hakoniwa Academy very soon, so long as we of the Student Council remain in constant contact with him."

"Eh..." The lone yellow-headed boy in the room scratched his neck in thought. "Basically, he just showed up one day saying he was on vacation, not even knowing this place was a school because of his size. Since then Naruto's sorta just stuck around, even going as far to shack up at Ghost Babel for some reason, and Medaka's gotten it into her head that he needs to enroll."

"How mysterious. Ghost Babel you say? That rundown old building with some dropout in charge? Seems like somebody you'd want to stay away from but then again-" Nabeshima's sharp eyes flickered towards the prim and proper purplenette, "- Kurokami-chan's taken an interest in him."

"Yeah he's pretty weird if he wants to hang around on campus all day. So anyways I don't know about you two, but since our job is done here do you mind if I go and change? It's my turn to go and buy the flowers for the council room."

From there the club activities trickled back into normalcy, especially after Medaka left and Nabeshima's underlings were no longer awestruck by the overly pretty girl. Akune returned though he seemed subdued for the rest of the practice. And once Nekomi had freshened up and pulled on her school uniform for the walk home, mind deciding on how she'd break the news to her strongest fighter, when the young woman had a random thought and decided to follow up on it. Waving to a few affiliates of the track team running their cool down laps the girl ultimately traced her way to a wholly ignored section of their fair school; forgotten through disuse but never removed, until a high school dropout moved in and made the incredibly spacious structure his own.

Trailing her hand along the ivy growing up the privacy walls the judo practicioner eventually reached the opening where a gate would normally go and walked inside. Wow, only two people lived in this place by themselves? Well there wasn't any want for space. Skipping up the steps Nekomi waited a moment before shrugging and opening the door. As she thought it was unlocked like all the buildings on the grounds during the day, and it made much more sense than waiting outside hoping someone could hear her knock.

"Hell-_lllllooooooo_! Anybody home!?"

The purple-eyed cheat had to wait a couple minutes before she heard the notable sounds of a body traversing the steps from a floor above. She might have been lauded throughout the academy as an infamous trickster who only saw the rules as a set of guidelines to glance over, but she still had her manners. There wasn't any viable reason for her to traipse all around their home uninvited...or at least, Nabeshima was currently lacking one that would benefit her.

"...-hy the hell do I have to answer? I'm a guest!" a scratchy voice muttered darkly as the person it stemmed from turned the corner of the staircase and proceeded to step down to the ground floor. Nekomi might not have been super feminine in the sense that she liked throwing people around in martial arts matches but even _she _could tell the dude in front of her was a walking fashion disaster. It was too bright for her even though he seemed right at home home in it but...to each their own. At least the shirt exposed by the unzipped jacket was black instead of more of that blinding carroty shade. He honestly looked fine regardless...it just didn't seem like a natural color choice that anyone would make for their daily outfit.

Still, he had hair and eyes similar to Hitoyoshi and that right there was a plus in her books. The markings though were strange...but she could totally work with those kitty cat whiskers.

"Hi there! My names Nabeshima Nekomi, and I was told by my _good_ _friend _Kurokami Medaka that an interesting guy just recently moved into this place. Anyone that catches _her _attention must be one hell of a guy, so I thought I'd stop by after practice and say hello~."

"Oh, that'd be me I guess. I'm Uzumaki Naruto." He held out a hand as the feline-styled female's ever present smile grew even wider. What an interesting name: 'spiraling maelstrom' huh? As for the blond he quickly remembered the other one was that girl that tried to trick Zenkichi into joining her school organization; there was actually a pretty nice figure hidden under those baggy training clothes. He didn't see the part where she stripped off the top of her gi because once Kouki slammed into the mat he decided to leave Maguro and go do his own thing. Now that he had a home base, there was something he figured he could do as an assist towards his vacation.

As the pair shook hands Nekomi could literally feel the calluses rubbing against her smoother skin. The kind that showed he worked himself to the bone either through physical training or work relations. Which meant he wasn't the gifted type who easily picked up on new skills, instead having to devote hours and energy into mastering them to even get close to those who were considered geniuses.

Oh yeah, they were gonna get along just fine~.

* * *

Zenkichi blinked as someone knocked on the door of the Student Council room, the boy setting down his watering can to take a small break from tending to the ever growing pile of varied carnations. Medaka's dream was to have the entire span of the area covered in the beautiful bouquets...but since his friend was currently busy he was tasked with making sure the flowers remained healthy. His fellow council person merely raised an eyebrow from where she sat behind her desk, reading over updated status reports sent to them by the clubs during the lunch break while she had time to do so.

Stepping over he pulled open the door only to stutter slightly in shock at their new guest. "N-Nabeshima-senpai? What are you doing here?"

The girl slunk past him with a cheery wave. "Thought I'd come and visit. After all you did help me out yesterday."

Finding a place to stop, Medaka set down her papers in a neat and tidy pile before setting upright against the back of her chair in veiled interest. "Welcome, Third-year Nabeshima. Is there something else you require last minute involving your request?" she asked towards the greenette who had walked up to one of the side desks perpendicular to the president's and, with a little hop, proceeded to sit on top of it.

"Nah, nothin' like that. I just thought I'd come by and let ya know I went and visited your boyfriend last night."

"BOYFRIEND!?" As expected, Zenkichi flipped out upon hearing the older woman spout that off. The gorgeous Kurokami simply cocked a brow at the out of the ordinary choice of words by her senpai.

"You know...messy blond hair...pretty blue eyes..." Slyly peeking over her shoulder Nekomi watched as Hitoyoshi puffed up slightly in interest and confusion. Was she actually just screwing with the audience and talking about him or...? "-and such cute little whisker marks!"

Oh.

"I can assure you my interest in Second-year Uzumaki is purely platonic." Medaka said with a chuckle, calming the freshman male's elevated pulse. Well...Medaka said that but in truth she loved _everybody_. But it wasn't in a romantic sense. It was just how the Kurokami household worked. Which sorta also explained Maguro and his...hobby.

"Mmmm I bet it is. Aaaaaaanywaaaaaaays...I decided to go and check him out after practice. Cute kid. Pretty strong looking too. Easy to tell he had to work for it. My kind of guy." The red-eyed female simply smirked as her cerulean-eyed companion went back to watering the flowers with one ear open. "Yeah anyways, he's gone now."

...

...

Despite the type of woman she was, Kurokami Medaka couldn't stop the look of utter surprise from creasing her features. In fact the emotion was actually deeper than one would expect of losing an acquaintance she'd only known for less than a month.

"Ex...cuse me?"

"Ah, I showed up while he was getting ready to travel. I guess he left this morning."

"And Naruto didn't even think to come and say goodbye?" That was Hitoyoshi; they weren't so familiar but, you know, it would have been polite since they did have some minor interactions and he could have at least found one of them before classes began.

"Well it's not like he's gone for good." Nekomi was grinning far too much by now at the deadpan she was getting from her pair of kouhai. "Oops? Did I forget to mention that? Sorry~."

"Yes. You did. So what exactly is Naruto the Second-year up to then?"

Kicking her feet out slightly like a child, Nabeshima placed a petite finger against her chin before shrugging. "Now that he has a place to crash at, Uzumaki-kun said something about going out to tour the country for awhile while also looking for a way to get some money. Your brother has him paying rent to help with the bills."

"Did he say how long he would be gone?"

Nabeshima shrugged cooly. "Dunno. But he did ask me to tell you that, to make up for any time he would miss hanging around, I was to tell you beforehand that _no_ he would not be enrolling at Hakoniwa anytime soon."

This time Medaka did chuckle, crossing her arms over her bountiful cleavage. "One who protests too much usually yearns for the opposite."

The school bell rang out shrilly, cutting off any more conversation as the muffled stampede of students just outside the door began anew. Two of the three inside mentally groaned at the thought of going back to class before the full trio finally exited. "Oh! By the way Kurokami-chan!" The buxom first-year paused mid-step to peer over at her grinning senior, a questioning look sculpting her delicate features into one of curiosity. "...your brother is way too freaky."

Those delicate features then cracked into something much less neutral, a way for the woman to keep her dislike in check. Zenkichi's snort was fairly loud even with the distance he put between them on his own journey towards Class 1-1. "Yes. Well..."

"He'd really like for you to stop by sometime and see him. Like, during any of your spare time."

"I am quite sure."

"..."

"..."

"...welp, good luck with _that_." Nabeshima said cattily as she headed towards the nearest stairs. If she had an older sibling overly obsessed with her like Medaka did, Nabeshima was incredibly sure she'd have gone crazy or committed a familial crime. On the other hand...she kind of felt insulted that she didn't have any males, siblings or not, who worshipped the ground she walked on like that. Hell, Kurokami Maguro hadn't even looked at her like she was a real woman during any of the time frame where she was visiting Ghost Babel. Nekomi was pretty. She'd gone on dates before and knew she had a tight figure thanks to all the exercise. The constant stares towards her bike shorts could attest to the fact. But it was still darn offensive. "Oh, and Akune-kun should be stopping by at the end of the day to settle in."

A pity Hitoyoshi was out of range by this time. It would have saved him a great deal of grief once the final bell rang and he and Shiranui slipped inside, only to find Akune Kouki in nothing but his skivvies. The blond was highly disgusted. The little bluenette started drooling over something other than food. Why did everything think the council room was their own personal dressing area? And it had to be his asshole junior of all people, taking over the Secretary position because of his skill in penmanship and loyalty to Medaka to fillin another gap in their miniscule group as Zenkichi ultimately learned.

Was this somehow Nabeshima-senpai's revenge for him not joining judo?

Didn't he already suffer enough at the hands of his perfectly perfect friend?

Once again, it wasn't the first time the blue-eyed Normal questioned whether or not sticking around the girl he fell in love with for all these years was such a good idea.

* * *

**I've still got this and another chapter to upload but chapter 4 will come after I get some sleep. That, and the first chapter of another new story wouldn't let me upload since apparently newbies can only make two a day. Anyways once I do that it's onto educational things. But first...sleep.**

**Anyways, read and review please. Let me know what you think.**


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: See first chapter.

* * *

Chapter 4:

* * *

It was nearly _four weeks _later before Naruto finally returned to Hakoniwa Academy and its surrounding land. Ignoring the sputtering guard at his post after flashing a pass Maguro gave that essentially said he could enter whenever, the blond started towards a certain area of the school. The moment he touched down on academy soil he made his trek towards the rundown building that was technically his newest home outside of Konoha. In barely no time at all the shinobi was past the vegetation-strewn walls and into the lobby, moving upwards towards the room he only slept in for a single night before deciding to go out and see what Japan had to offer.

Moving back into the spartan settings, Naruto dropped to the floor and slung the massive scroll off his shoulders. Sitting cross-legged with the item in his lap he unrolled past Fukasaku's summoning array, only to eventually hear the squeak of rubber soles against the tiles outside. Naturally his landlord would have some way of knowing when there was somebody else inside; probably something to do with the camera situation Maguro used to stalk his bombshell of a sister. Or maybe the guy heard him come inside and stomp through the building without announcing himself. Either way he felt the presence stop in his doorway and stare into the back of his head until he finally turned his upper body to look.

"Well, well. I was beginning to wonder if you had gotten lost."

Naruto merely grinned sheepishly before going back to fiddling with his scroll. "I did for a little while. Then once I started figuring out the topography, using the school as the middle point, it made things a lot easier."

"And that took you around four whole weeks?"

"No. Well, yes? I wasn't really paying attention to that. I went _sightseeing_. Tourist attractions. Things like that." A small smoke trail erupted in front of the blond's body, revealing a few small wads of cash. "I also found the old exchange point and had my money turned into yen. I could even pay for another few months now before needing to find more."

"I see." Maguro remarked as there was another crack of smoke and he watched as something turned into nothing and vice versa; where before there was just a section of his ridiculously large scroll, once the odd appearance of gas started then something would just pop into existence. How convenient, and more than likely yet another facet of Uzumaki's abnormal normalcy.

"Here. Souvenirs." the ninja crowed before tossing something at the taller male. The object smacked into his hand, fingers automatically closing around the thin package as red eyes zeroed in on it. Opening the tan envelop allowed two chopsticks to slide into his palm before Maguro went starry eyed in joy. They were both predominantly blue with chibi Medaka's painted along its length. A perfect addition to his continuously growing collection, and even opening the door on a new venue that the big brother could Medaka-nize.

"Thank you Naruto-san. You didn't have to get me anything but the thought _is_ appreciated."

The jinchuriki shrugged an arm before straightening in his seat and pointing over his shoulder. "Once they knew what your sister looked like it was easy for the guy to make custom sticks..." The toad summoner straightened to some extent. "I nearly had to punch the guy painting those things for you. He spent more time staring at the picture of your sister I borrowed from your freak room than actually working so...yeah."

"You did _what_?"

A slight rustle of cloth and Naruto placed the simple full body photograph of Kurokami Medaka standing tall in her black uniform back into his hands. "You've got a billion of them and it's not like you'd miss one."

"They are all catalogued and processed by very specific guidelines! Removing a hard copy will mess everything up and cause hours of work to put them all back in order!" Maguro looked as if somebody was about to be choked. Luckily(?) he relaxed just enough to bite his lip and fix the blond with a heavy stare. "When did you even steal this? Were you aware you would be ordering custom sticks and in need of a model before you left?"

"Nope. I just rushed back and got it when I needed to. You're acting like it's surprising that a ninja snuck in and took something without raising any alarms."

Maguro felt his eyelids become heavy from the blank expression threatening to overtake his face. "A ninja...in those clothes...riiiiiight."

Spinning on his ass Naruto threw a miffed finger in the other male's face. "I'll have you know that I'd lead the village ANBU on daily chases back when I was younger and they could never even get close to catching me! I was a master at evasion and stealth at thirteen!" Which was sort of true. Had the Uzumaki actually trained continuously in those fields he could have truly become a professional, instead of simply using what he knew to pull a prank and then run away. His anomalous luck played more a part in his success than actual skill. Because if it were really true and he was just _that_ good...then the ANBU were all actually terrible shinobi who couldn't protect their inner territory from one annoying kid in bright clothing.

"That would probably have some weight behind it if I actually understood what an ANBU was."

The supervisor of Ghost Babel took a moment to digest the information as Naruto just gave him the stink eye and rerolled his scroll, still brooding over the disruption of his amazing collection before he slipped both the chopsticks and picture into his pocket for later fixing. A few seconds of silence passed before Konoha's powerhouse stood up and dusted his pants off. "So anyways, I'm gonna go see your sister and her friends. I found some crap for them too and I should probably go apologize for leaving first without saying goodbye."

The boy left after a quick muttered goodbye to Maguro, leaving the Abnormal to stew in the silence. A thought crossed his mind and the crimson-eyed boy nodded to himself before heading off to his sanctuary to add some security maintenance; if the blond jinchuriki could waltz back in unannounced and take one of the teen's prized possessions then what was stopping someone else from doing the same? Because this was still a school building the front doors had to remain unlocked during proper hours and any stray or delinquent looking for a place to skip might decide his current home was just the spot. Nothing of the sort had happened before since there was a reputation about the place...

But if it could happen once then it could happen again.

With that paranoid thought in mind he scurried off, not even once believing it was possible that no one else wanted to or even cared about pilfering his treasure.

* * *

No one answered his knock on the Student Council door so the ensuing few moments standing in meditation to search for energy signatures caused a few passing students to think he had drifted off into incredibly deep thought. Luckily there was no need for any nature chakra; the next building over was swarming in unnecessary amounts of negativity. Naruto believed he hit the jackpot after knocking the second time, the sounds of familiar loud voices and wordless shouts occasionally sifting through the thick wooden barrier as they waited for a reply. It lurched against its hinges before swiftly opening with the person holding the handle causing the ninja to grimace in disdain. Tall, blond, and viciously handsome, the newest initiate into Medaka's committee stood before the boy in nothing but a tight pair of revealing swim trunks with the rest of his sporty figure on display without so much as a second thought.

Akune Kouki had yet to actually meet Naruto but he had heard about the mystery man from the others he accompanied day after day. The description of eye-popping clothing easily led him to believe the person before him was quite possibly the purplenette's pet project leaning towards the responsibility of a proper education. But there was a chance he could be wrong and that the boy with the headband and odd ensemble had proper business with the student representatives and their responsibilities to the public body.

"Hello. Is there something the Student Council can help you with today?"

"Yeah. You could put some pants on for one thing." Naruto said dryly. Akune looked down at his state of undress before chuckling ruefully.

"Oh yes, sorry about that. We're currently entertaining a student's very fickle request for an art model-"

"Where've you been young man!?"

One minute Kouki was speaking and the next a solid weight slammed into his hip to cut him off midway, body lurching out of the doorframe due to a small blue blur shouting like a scolding parent. Mere seconds after Akune had fallen to his knees from a cheap kidney shot, something had grabbed the sage by his jacket and whipped him forward straight into the room.

The others within stared at the spectacle: the Secretary groaning in pain as he clutched his side and a familiar mop of yellow spikes sliding forward into the Student Council room by way of his nose. Silence followed the squeaky face plant as Naruto came to a halt with his large scroll flipping over his shoulders; pulling his head off the ground and snorting back blood dripping from injured nostrils, the non-student wondered if it was from the facial injury or because there were three half-naked girls in the room.

There was a girl he never met before with neck length black hair and bangs held back by a clip, wearing a one-piece swimsuit with attached leggings cut off at the thighs which tightly hugged her athletically muscled/petite figure. Isahaya Isagi, as he would later on learn. Next to her was good ol' Nabeshima whose grin had widened both from seeing the comical entrance as well as the fact Naruto had finally returned. The King of Foul Play had stopped by Ghost Babel a few times since her first visit and each time there had been no sighting of the non-genius. She herself had on a glossy red two-piece with the top half of her judo gi hanging off her thin shoulders alongside the sparring belt tied at the level of her belly button.

Then of course there was Medaka; a white bikini with blue trim enhancing her already impressive figure.

Oh yeah, and Zenkichi was off in the corner wearing the same disturbing thing as Akune. But Naruto didn't exactly care about that. Making sure his nose hadn't been broken by wiggling the cartilage, the blond lifted his head higher only to meet with the superhuman Abnormal's remarkable under-cleavage. Shaking his head for no particular reason other than he should have expected something like this the Uzumaki rose to his feet. "Why is it every time I see you there's like a fifty-fifty chance you're gonna be half naked?" he asked while brushing off his long sleeves.

Medaka just graced him with a satisfied smirk that cracked through the disbelief she'd been feeling for awhile now. After the day she had been having it was refreshing for someone absent from her life to return at such a dire moment. It showed; Naruto could see the way her smile didn't quite reach her eyes and there was an air of desperation hanging about the room. Nekomi and the other girl were the same way, and to a lesser extent with the boys. Considering there were two other people involved in whatever shenanigans were taking place in the room the shinobi could hazard a guess that one of them was the main culprit.

He wanted to completely blame Shiranui Hansode. Just knowing her even the little amount he did, there was a large possibly the underdeveloped loli in the academy-issued swimsuit with doughnut ring floatie around her waist was highly responsible for breaking everyone's spirit. Plus she was the one who attacked the pair of blonds in her hyperactive frenzy. Currently staring him down with her hands on her hips (sort of) and upper body leaning forward, the tone of worry used beforehand clearly didn't go with the jesting look upon her wide-eyed face. It was just a Shiranui thing to do on her 'quest' to mess with people. Or in this case...give her a motive to tease Naruto.

She hadn't been worried one bit by his disappearance. However for a bit it made the freshman wonder if her machinations behind getting the shinobi to hang around Hakoniwa had fallen through. But since Medaka wasn't one to showcase such an emotion that left it up to her, filling in for the capacity that her family was meant to fill. It was the reason why Hansode ate so much...and acted so silly...because a certain someone's growth as an individual was so pathetic she needed somebody else to do it for her.

But it wasn't that big of a deal. Acting as a double was the basis behind the Shiranui Village existing in the first place.

By then the ninja was already being dragged over to the center of the room. "Well since you're here now anyways come check out my painting! I still don't really know what's going on but I somehow beat out the big booby girls!" Shiranui remarked as she pushed Naruto behind the last person who was far too busy working over a paint canvas like it owed him money...which probably wouldn't have been too violent since the kid didn't seem to have an ounce of muscle. Yuubaru Kizashi's limbs moved passionately, barely any paint splashing onto the smock over his uniform as the masterful strokes put the finishing touches on the picture. A final flick of his hand moved the medium-length black hair away from his brown eyes to allow him the perfect unobstructed view.

"It is done!" Kizashi cried, staring at the work of art in undisguised appreciation as the rest of the group crowded around for a look. The bustier girls immediately migrated to the nearby wall, bent over in self loathing because after everything they went through, their feminine pride in their looks, appeal, and figures had taken a major hit that day. Told they weren't necessary after baring their skin in swimwear...and then said they couldn't compare to somebody like Shiranui. Even perfectly perfect Medaka.

It was quite the low blow.

Especially since the picture only had a passing resemblance to the small teen. It had her hair and eyes, sure, but the body type was more along the lines of Ms. Kurokami to which Yuubaru explained the bluenette was chosen because his purist artistic senses screamed that she had the peak potential for becoming _anything_. Instead of just copying what was already there, she let his imagination run wild. The others would make fine paintings...but their 'potential' was already on a set course. Hansode's childlike build forecasted what could be, and the painter took that and ran with it to complete his entry for the Beach Goddess contest.

Profusely thanking the energetic student he paid her 500 yen for using her likeness and swiftly left the premises. Isahaya-senpai staggered out after him to try and work through her fragile emotions with an intense bout of running. Both Naruto and Zenkichi felt a hand on their shoulder as Nabeshima walked up behind them, her usual smile and closed eyes straining at the edges. "I'm still like, hot right?" she asked for any sort of ego boost before walking out as well.

"So...may I ask where you have been?" Medaka demanded with her hands at her waist now that the club business for the day was over, still pouting petulantly due to Shiranui taking all the glory for the request. None of them expected for the blond to leave for nearly a month straight. In return Naruto merely pulled his 'backpack' off and sat down. All that remained inside of the unused classroom were the three members of the Student Council as well as the blue-haired menace, who gathered around the powerful sage as he once again unfurled his cumbersome scroll and spread it past a large intricate seal none of them could decipher...mostly.

"Like I told your brother-" Naruto began as he started to unseal items, much to the surprise of most of them. "-I went sightseeing around Japan. There's a lot of cool stuff that reminds me of home. Plus I picked up some souvenirs...though I wasted a bunch of my money traveling around. But hey, it was worth it."

Shiranui was given a bunch of candy. She was already halfway done with the huge bulging bag by the time the ninja had turned towards the next person in line. Zenkichi was given a set of blue and green Maneki-neko feline statues, seeing as they had those out here in this country just like back home. He didn't really know what to get the boy so he figured the superstition about these cats' specific colors bringing fortune in academics would aid the student in the long run. And Medaka? She was gifted a plain white paper fan similar to the ones she seemed to adore, except for the sole exception of the red Uzumaki swirl dead center once it unfolded. As he explained to the curvaceous purplenette, if she was gonna keep flashing fans whenever they talked then he would rather it be one he enjoyed looking at. Just like with what he gave her elder brother, if you were willing to pay then some establishments were more than keen to make custom stock.

Naruto didn't have anything for Kouki but then again he just met the guy.

Still, even after thanking the blond for the gifts that were unnecessary but graciously accepted, Medaka proceeded to gently chastise the shinobi for skipping out on so much time that could have been spent studying in school. Naruto retorted by whapping her on the head with her present and then leaving to go take a shower. Staring in deadpan at the offending present Medaka eventually fell back into her depression when Shiranui grabbed her clothes to go change, whistling jauntily as the midget skipped her way out of the room. It just seemed like the proper time to go home; at first she showed up to trick Hitoyoshi into going with her to get food (and make him pay for it) but enough time had already been wasted posing as a model. Plus she got one over on the Princess so enough good things had happened to momentarily satiate her.

A clothes-clad Zenkichi had to help his best friend back to the clubroom after she lazily pulled on her uniform lest her gloom keep her from walking properly. Seeing as he was now the last person left, Akune quickly threw on his pants and jacket same as the others did before closing the classroom door and rushing after his love interest and that other idiot. It had been a very hectic day. But when you worked under Kurokami Medaka...this kind of thing was commonplace.

Especially at the end of the week when Shiranui herself stopped by Ghost Babel with an exciting bit of news for the blond-haired superhero.

* * *

"Here we go! This is gonna be good!" Naruto exclaimed loudly, rubbing his hands together as he walked towards the pool building that following Sunday. He was dressed in a simple pair of orange swim trunks down to his knees and a blue button up shirt left completely open. Not even close to his usual attire but there was going to be a fair amount of swimming and for once the blond was doing it for _leisure_. A body of water as big as a miniature lake built on private property for use at any time; why the hell didn't they have pools back home?

Two others walked behind Naruto as they left the confines of Ghost Babel, more interested in looking around the expansive and exquisite grounds of Hakoniwa Academy than listening to the sage's declarations. One was slightly shorter than the ninja, with cropped pink hair and bright emerald eyes standing out against her snowy white skin and darker green diamond marking upon her forehead. Naruto's teammate Haruno Sakura only had a minor idea of what was going on but it sounded easy enough. He was going to enter a competition being held at a school, swimming was involved, and there was a cash prize. The jinchuriki also needed to form a team to be eligible in participating…so it wasn't a surprise he traveled all the way back to Konoha through the outpost portal/embassy building that used some special time/space ninjutsu to link Japan and their hidden continent to ask his former crush for aid.

It also wasn't too much of a stretch of the imagination that his second helper was Sai, the former ROOT operative and replacement member of Team 7. Although their relationship was incredibly rocky in the beginning, Naruto now trusted the ink-user with his life and vice-versa. Like all the other ninja under Danzo's command he was mentally conditioned to live without emotions clouding his judgment, making him a warrior who completed missions with a high rate of success but at the loss of character development that all humans needed. The time spent interacting with such expressive people as the blond and pinkette had helped him loosen up somewhat…although the black-haired boy with chalk-white skin and dull black eyes still struggled with understanding how regular people normally got along.

Sakura was dressed in a red sundress with a tote bag over her shoulder filled with a change of clothes, with the brunt of her gear stashed within Naruto's room. Things were rather different outside of the Elemental Nations and ninja were nothing more than movie concepts and things of legend, as she had studied up on using the very limited sources in the Hokage's library, so it wouldn't do to be walking around with dangerous weapons on her person. Sai on the other hand…well, the boy had just put on his normal casual ensemble of a navy blue long-sleeve shirt with a high collar, matching pants, and his regular shinobi sandals. But at least he left his weapons behind like the others.

That was something, right?

"I never knew the lands outside our home were so…advanced. It's a wonder we barely have any communication with them at all." the medic nin said in awe, watching the small metallic blip of what she was told was called an airplane cruising through the sky. Such technology! Wasn't that like the machinery the sky ninja used? If there was time after this she was so totally dropping by a hospital to see what kinds of techniques were performed. Sakura couldn't pass up such an opportunity when the chance was right within reach.

"See? And you'd have missed out if I never decided to use my vacation time for once and thought to travel out here. But it was originally Ero-sennin's idea so…hmmmm…" Naruto stopped and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Eh, whatever. He'd have found a way to turn the trip into something perverted." He may have said those words distastefully but neither of the other Konohagakure ninja missed the distant smile on his lips at the mention of his dear teacher.

"Maybe I should follow your example? I've always been so busy too, what with learning under Tsunade-sama while you were off on your training trip and then all the events after you returned, that I still have my own free days saved up as well. But then again I've taken on a greater workload at the hospital now that the whole deal with the war is over. Once we're done here I should probably get this all sorted out."

Sai just smiled towards the girl; his expressions came more naturally nowadays though sometimes he dropped back into a phony grin when he was in a confusing situation. "I too have never had a vacation. But under Danzo-sama I do not believe that was a part of our itinerary anyways." The pale boy's smile dropped slightly before he blinked. "I am not sure what I would do with any free time regardless."

"You can figure it out after we win this thing! We're here!"

Pumping a fist Naruto turned towards the rest of Team 7 with an aura of confidence, eyes brimming with the assurance that this was in the bag. The same type of guarantee that showed he could do the impossible; something the whiskered kid did rather often. Staring at Sakura and then Sai, the trio nodded as one before the glass doors were thrown open and they all trudged inside.

The change became immediately apparent. The air was moist and cooler than the agreeable temperature outside and it was easy to make out the multitude of voices filling the air. Stepping past another set of doors it was hard for the ninjas not to gape at the view. While the building obviously looked big on the outside, inside it just seemed _massive_. Nearly all of the floor space was taken up by a massive rectangle cut into the floor and filled to the brim with liquid. That must have been the pool. Bleachers lined both sides, partly filled with contestants as they all talked in their own little groups. A large scoreboard hung from the far wall and there was even an announcer's box built to gain a view over the fifty meter pool.

"Wow."

"Yeah."

Naruto eventually broke from his admiration when fingers snapping in front of his face became too annoying to ignore anymore. It was Zenkichi, sporting a confused frown and a rather tight set of swimwear **again**. The blond shinobi didn't need _that_ type of memory today. "Yo. I wasn't expecting to see you here Naruto."

"Well I heard there was a big contest today and I'm not one to pass up such things."

"…you do know it's only for school functions right? The Student Council is using this as a fair way to reward the clubs. Whoever wins gets the cash, because way too many groups asked us for funding and there just wasn't enough to go around." This time it was Akune who spoke, having decided to join his fellow council member in greeting the outsiders and also presenting Naruto with another unwanted view of taut fabric. Sakura, always being a sucker for a pretty (male) face despite her professionalism, heated up slightly at the Judo Prince's dashing good looks.

"Then if none of you can beat my team, I guess that means you weren't good enough to earn the money."

The golden-haired pretty boy narrowed his eyes towards Naruto. "I'm sorry but that's not how it works, Naruto-san. Were you a student and a member of a club, any club, then yes I would see no problem with you entering."

"I thought you said everything was taken care of." Sakura mentioned heatedly as the novelty of the second-year wore off, crossing her arms over her small chest in her first sign of annoyance. At least her foot wasn't starting to- oh wait, it was tapping.

Not good.

"I see no problem here." a regal voice interjected while swiftly grabbing everyone's attention. Zenkichi slapped his forehead with a deep sigh, knowing the trouble couldn't be fixed now. Akune had devoted hearts in his eyes as they gazed upon flawless exposed flesh. Naruto blushed slightly but didn't look away. Sakura's scowl could have set a new record. And Sai…well, he was Sai.

"Hey Medaka-chan. So we can join in right?" Naruto's voice was gleeful and it brought a genial smirk to the beautiful freshman's face. Or maybe he sounded that way because her gorgeous figure was stuffed inside yet another skimpy bikini straining against her much developed curves for all to see. Medaka had no proper sense of modesty anyways so showing off this much of her body meant nothing to her.

"No way!" came yet _another_ voice to interject and make itself known.

Okay this was getting ridiculous with the amount of people constantly butting in.

The first was a tall boy with pale skin, dark eyes, slicked-back black hair, a blue singlet swimsuit used for competitions, and even sporting a few small tufts of fuzz on his chin. His smile and face oozed with cockiness, and he had the lean, compact physique to prove how much time he spent in the water. Yakushima Umumichi; senior of Class 11 and the captain of the Swim Team. At his side was another student although significantly tanned compared to the others idling around the pool. Beady eyes and dark blond chin-length hair parted down the center of his scalp enhanced the rather sharp and angry features he possessed. This one wore shorts colored red; the hours of training in the water had also shaped his body for high endurance. It was Tanegashima Sotsu; junior of Class 11 and the vice-captain.

The last of their small group was the one and only girl. Shoulder length brown hair tied back in a ponytail held in place by a thick blue ribbon, purple eyes, unblemished skin and a pretty face although at the moment she looked rather un-amused. The tight blue one piece she wore showed off all her womanly shape and full chest, though they weren't _as_ large as Medaka's. It was the last of the trio, Kikaijima Mogana; freshman of Class 11 and regular member. The Kurokami woman greeted them each accordingly as they walked up which introduced the threesome to those that didn't know.

"If you're not in a club then you can't join!" the blond shouted angrily while pointing a finger at the jinchuriki.

"But there's no rule stating I _can't_ enter." Naruto stated smugly, wide grin stretching his features. Actually there might have been since such a thing sounded legit but when was he ever one to follow the proper guidelines? "I just want the money, that's all."

"It's a _school_ inter_-_club meet! Of course that means you can't enter!"

"Don't worry about it, Tanegashima-san. It's just another team looking to get beat. Besides…he might want the money, but we want it more." Yakushima said, placing a hand on his tanned teammate's shoulder. The shark-like boy stared at him for a moment before showing off his gleaming pointed teeth. Of course there was no way the Swim Club could lose a competition in the water. Once he, Sotsu, and Mogana aced this contest they'd all be one step closer to fulfilling their shared dream.

The ponytailed brunette and only female swimmer nodded along before turning on her naked heel and walking away. The two male athletes followed their friend, although Tanegashima sneered over his shoulder at his fellow yellow-hair. Naruto just scowled back while making a rude face. It earned him a hard slap on the shoulder from the pinkette, making Naruto frown at her in betrayal and rub at the offending pain. Even without using the Godaime's super strength technique, the chunin doctor still hit pretty damn roughly.

"Ow! What the hell Sakura-chan?"

"Why is it everywhere you go _you have to antagonize people?_" she scolded harshly with her arms over her chest, leaning forward to stare the ninja down. "And you never said anything about having to actually be enrolled in a school to be a part of this!"

"It's alright…Sakura-san, was it? I am Kurokami Medaka, Student Council President and first-year of Class 13. I've no problem with Second-year Naruto and his group joining the festivities. This is a friendly competition after all and as they say, the more the merrier!"

Sakura nodded slowly but her jade eyes had turned dead staring blandly at those great jiggling balloons hanging off the purplenette's torso. Peeking down at her own insubstantial chest to compare with Medaka, she sighed as feelings of inadequacy washed over her. Now on par with Tsunade of the Sannin, a new medical legend in her own right born on the war battlefield, and yet still Sakura was outmatched in one area she wished to excel. In fact…looking around a fair amount of girls in this place had bigger breasts than she.

Slowly her fingers curled inward as the Haruno's innate temperament began to bubble. If this was actually all some sort of stupid and convoluted prank of Naruto's to pick on the pinkette's insecurities…

Sai shuffled a few steps away from the kunoichi, never once losing that bland smile of his.

"See? Medaka-chan said it's okay!"

"I did say that, but to be clear you are not eligible for the club prize money."

"B-but I need it!" Because he was banking on winning this thing to get a new start on cash he was slowly running out of due to that whirlwind tour of nearly the entire country. Even restocking his wallet at the trade in wouldn't survive for much longer if he kept going out to eat the way he did...

"Have no fear." the Kurokami female set a dainty hand on her hip and stared deeply into the bright blue orbs of his. "I am not one to turn away from somebody in need. If you require money then there is always a solution. Prepare yourself and your team. The competition will be starting shortly and all will be explained then."

With that the superhuman strode off towards an elevated platform with a microphone set wired into it.

"Say Naruto…just out of curiosity, how'd you find out about this anyways?"

The jinchuriki looked over at Hitoyoshi for a moment before reaching down behind his back and raising something into the air. It was small, compact, and seemed to have no problem with Naruto lifting it one-handed. "Hello!" Shiranui greeted loudly, feeling as though she was floating now that she was eye-level with everyone else for once. Her thin arms were held out at her sides and the short bluenette looked as though she were some sort of heavenly figure floating amongst the crowd.

Zenkichi stared at her with a deadpan look. Of course his friend was the reason.

"Hansode here just popped out of nowhere the other day and told me about the contest, and how there was money involved."

"Awww, don't say my name so familiarly!" the petite freshman yelled out, holding cheeks glowing with a phony blush as she squirmed in his grip about four feet in the air. Switching gears Shiranui immediately stopped struggling before grinning wickedly and raising a finger like she was starting a lecture. "But yeah, I thought this would make everything more interesting. Just think about it; mysterious nobodies fighting to prove they're better than any of Hakoniwa's clubs!"

"Nobodies?" Naruto scowled at the child-like female before shaking her back and forth by the collar. Shiranui struggled to kick at him for the rough treatment despite the heavy swaying but her short limbs just couldn't reach. The boy eventually set her down once he felt he got the point across, unable to stop smiling at seeing the bluenette scowling up at him. "Why the hell can't you just stay polite all the time?"

"Anyways!" Hansode said loudly, dismissing the boy and twisting away from the vindictive jinchuriki with her arms over her nonexistent bust. "The competition is about to begin so you all better get ready!" Skipping over towards the stairs, the girl eyed Naruto and his team over her shoulder with a condescending smirk. "Good luck!...you'll need it."

"That girl just can't seem to decide on being mean or nice." Naruto muttered while rubbing the back of his head.

"We should do as she says though. If we're to take part in this match then we better get organized." Sakura was feeling a bit better after having to endure the presence of Medaka's rockin' bod. There was a female her age it seemed who was flatter than she was! Following Zenkichi's instructions the pinkette moved off towards the nearby female locker room to change. Sai, however, took a more…curious approach. With several swift movements the ex-ROOT stripped off his outerwear in a flash, leaving the incredibly pale shinobi in nothing more than a black speedo.

Naruto _really_ didn't need to see that.

"I find myself growing curious over this 'swimming competition'." Sai said after folding his clothing and placing it on the nearby bleachers next to Naruto's crumpled shirt. No one dared to even go near them. "What exactly will be taking place?"

Akune ran a hand through his long yellow hair, looking towards the other teen. "Oh that's-"

"**LISTEN UP EVERYONE! THE COMPETITION IS ABOUT TO START! THERE IS A SAYING: THOSE THAT DON'T EAT, DON'T WORK! BUT HERE WE'RE ALL GOING TO DO THINGS A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY! THOSE WHO WORK CAN GO AHEAD AND EAT! IF YOUR CLUB WANTS THOSE FUNDS THEN GO AHEAD AND WIN THIS THING!**"

Medaka's stately tone boomed in over the intercom as she stood atop her platform, hip cocked to the side as she gazed out among the gathered masses. Her body shifted against her will as she made her speech, certain areas bouncing around thanks to gravity and her own motions. And yet, not a one was focused on her figure, instead captured by the purplenette's words while the clubs quietly talked among themselves. Akune had closed his mouth when the president inadvertently cut him off only to shrug and follow Zenkichi towards the woman. As Medaka's fellow council representatives they had also helped set up the event and therefore were required to be at the forefront.

Such as now when Hitoyoshi was handed the microphone and began explaining the rules. Sakura reappeared as the blond freshman revealed how many could participate at a time (three, so lucky for Team Seven they met the requirement) and how boys were obligated to wear swim floaties as a handicap. The medic nin no longer wore her dress, instead now clad within a crimson one-piece. Naruto had a feeling she'd choose red; it was her color, just as sure as he'd always stick with good ol' orange.

"**I HOPE YOU ALL GO HOME AND THINK OF HOW MUCH FUN YOU HAD TODAY! WHICH IS WHY I DECIDED TO INCORPORATE THIS THIRD RULE TO LIVEN THINGS UP! WE OF THE STUDENT COUNCIL SHALL BE PARTICIPATING AS WELL, AND WHOEVER IS ABLE TO SCORE HIGHER THAN US, REGARDLESS OF THEIR PLACEMENT, WILL BE REWARDED WITH MONEY DIRECTLY FROM ME! THREE TIMES THE AMOUNT AND NO QUESTIONS ASKED!**"

As Medaka finished after having taken the mic back from Zenkichi, the simple mutterings among the participants turned into a full-blown uproar. The red-eyed girl smiled as she looked out among her fellow students, eventually stopping on the curiosities that were Uzumaki Naruto and his group. Despite her relentless propositions and the fact he was still not a student the blond boy still continued to spend time around the school campus. He was a mystery; his conduct towards her was…questionable. Naruto treated Medaka like she was, and quite simply, _an average Joe_.

He did not kowtow to her or her demands.

Though her amazing senses were aware he held a physical attraction (as was the norm with others) he did not act on it, nor attempt to make her become his through deceit, force, or pretty words.

He talked to her like they had been friends for years despite only having met a little while ago.

Although the busty girl was not exactly used to being seen as a regular human, it was a welcome and perplexing change which she did not fully grasp how to respond to. Even Zenkichi, her closest friend since they were two years old and the person who knew her the best, would always remark on how absolutely superhuman Medaka was compared to those around her. It was even worse whenever he said it _because_ of how well they knew each other. He never meant it maliciously or to make the noble girl feel out of place and she understood that completely…but Hitoyoshi did it to explain to others why the teen was so extraordinary. Medaka's abilities were incredibly abnormal compared to somebody unremarkable. It was all true.

_It just was_.

Yet Naruto witnessed her astonishing feats and then tolerated them without a fuss. As if Naruto was originally surprised she could do whatever it was before the awe quickly melted away into acknowledgment, like accepting the unnatural as natural was a part of his life. He could do extraordinary things as well like that transformation trick of his. One that Medaka _could_ _not_ _copy_. The gal had memorized his prep work perfectly: the handsign's faultless alignment down to the barest millimeter, the way his brow ridge and eyes crinkled ever so slightly in concentration, and the ideal form pictured within her organized mind. Yet there was never any change or plumes of smoke that covered her body like it did with the Uzumaki. Despite her track record in flawlessly mimicking anything she saw to the utmost degree...the blond was able to do something she wasn't.

Medaka would now be keeping a closer eye on the whiskered teen. He struck her curiosity…and disagreed with her choices on more than one occasion. A part of her that she didn't normally adhere to wanted to see how strong he might be to possess such strength of will, as well as exactly what type of power he might have been hiding from the masses. Smiling directly towards the blond and his cohorts Medaka placed her fists against her waist with her chin held high. The buxom first-year would definitely be watching Naruto more closely if he held the capacity to say she was **wrong**.

"Hey. That Medaka girl is grinning at us." Sakura whispered inconspicuously, making all three ninja take a closer look at the purplenette standing proudly upon her stage. Indeed she was, legs spread and hands touching her hips. And staring straight at the three of them like a queen in front of her subjects.

"Awww, I think she's just all excited because she got to explain how we can win money in such a dramatic fashion. No wonder she kept it a secret until now. Makes it all seem more exciting." Naruto added, sure of himself.

Though he was completely wrong.

"**AND NOW THE FIRST INTER-CLUB SWIM MEET SHALL BEGIN! THE FIRST EVENT IS WATER BASKETBALL!**"

"…what is basketball?" Sai asked aloud, earning twin shrugs from his teammates. Luckily there was an announcer up in the box who just so happened to shed light on how the affair would proceed even though she preceded the clarification by saying, 'I don't need to explain the rules'. Weird, but hey! Team Konoha now knew they just had to find twenty balls floating at the bottom of the pool, and they just had to get them in their own personal net in the quickest amount of time. Stepping towards the water, each cluster of three prepared to enter the pool.

It was time.

* * *

Shiranui went up the steps while everyone else hopped into the pool, moving to join the lone student nestled within the box bolted to the large room's wall. As she entered the door the shorthaired bluenette came upon another girl both her size and body type, wearing the girl's uniform as she sat at the desk with microphone in hand. Blue eyes rested behind red-rimmed glasses, and purple hair was tied up in twin buns like a certain weapon-user with a large light red ribbon attached to the back of her skull. It was a senior of Class 3 and the one who would be announcing the day's highlights. "My name is Tanzaku Aso and I am the right hand of the communications club! I'll be your announcer today, and with me for analysis is-"

"Shiranui-chan! There's nothing in this world I don't know!" the girl butted in, seeing her moment to pop into the 'conversation'. Hopping over to the empty seat next to Aso she looked out above the sparkling chlorinated water to see all of the competing hopefuls either looking down towards the depths or up towards the announcer's room. The bun-headed girl quickly brought up her relationship with Zenkichi, and learned how they only just met in April of that year when the boy picked up her discarded eraser.

It had only been a few months and yet they were so comfortable with each other? Wow.

"Now Shiranui-san I noticed you were interacting with the mysterious new team I've never seen before. Can you enlighten us as to who they are and where they came from?"

"Why sure! The blond in the orange is Naruto, the girl is Sakura, and the pale one is Sai! Many of you might not know this yet but Naruto's been sticking around school lately despite not being enrolled with a ringing endorsement from Hakoniwa's own chairman. Why? Well I'll leave that for you to find out on your own. But what I can say is that there's more to him than just a dumb face and it's caught the attention of both Kurokami-hime and the judo club's Foul King."

Everyone turned to look at Naruto and he shrugged, although his face was etched into a heavy frown. He did not look dumb! Sakura and Sai though were curious as to how Hansode already knew their names. Was she nearby at any point in time before the ninja sage picked her up and revealed her presence? Not that either could remember. Maybe there was some credit to Shiranui's boast of knowing everything...but the pinkette remained aptly suspicious of the shorter girl's knowledge. Sakura's name was said a few times back during everyone speaking with each other but Sai's was never brought up once. _Highly_ suspicious.

Nekomi winked towards Naruto from across the pool lanes before she turned to speak with Hitoyoshi and Akune. Her expression grew strained though when Medaka reappeared after changing into yet another swimsuit; a halter-top style with a tight bikini bottom to keep any wardrobe malfunctions from happening...but it still had her trademark cleavage cutout. But it was predominantly orange with a thick yellow stripe and that's all that mattered to Konoha's jinchuriki when he caught sight of it.

Nabeshima was just annoyed that Medaka was participating since no matter how handicapped the males of her team were, it didn't matter when the super girl was involved.

As Shiranui proclaimed over the loudspeaker that she believed the basketball team was her choice of winners this round before saying it wasn't going to be as easy as anyone thought, Team Seven had huddled together to try and come up with a plan. There were twenty balls spaced around the bottom of the pool they needed to collect before throwing them into a tall net labeled as their own. As expected their resident genius thought one up on the fly...but Naruto was less than excited to follow it through.

Tanzaku's eager voice piped in through the amplifiers placed about the large room a moment before everyone tensed up to begin. "**OH MY, I DIDN'T REALIZE BECAUSE WE WERE SPEAKING BUT IT'S ALMOST TIME TO START! IS EVERYONE READY TO BEGIN?! THEN...ON YOUR MARK! GET SET!...GO!**"

The pool immediately descended into anarchy at Aso's declaration. Men and women alike struggled to remain beneath the choppy waves as multiple teams fought to find their targets, the boys having a bit more trouble due to the air bags around their arms fighting to keep them afloat. The size of the area made it difficult to locate the bean bags and soaking in the chlorinated water for so long made them heavier than expected. The shorter and weaker students floundered in their attempts to win while the others did their best to carry their peers.

"**HAHAHA! THIS IS GREAT! IT'S SO MUCH FUN SEEING PEOPLE STRUGGLING LIKE THIS!**"

Shiranui's comments didn't help much either.

But while everyone else worked for the goal, the ninjas from Konoha had moved into action the moment Aso told them to commence. With absolute effortlessness Sakura grabbed Naruto by the shoulders and lifted him above her head like he was made of clouds. He wiggled in her grip and, in spite of the preparations, still wholeheartedly disagreed with her idea on victory.

"Sakura-chan, why can't Sai-"

"Hold your breath Naruto!"

"But-"

"Oh, and there's a chemical in the water so your eyes might burn a little."

"WHAT?!"

Inhaling deeply, Sakura then proceeded to use her super strength to spike the poor boy like he was a football. "CHAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The minor explosion displaced a fair amount of liquid into a grand, foamy plume when Naruto was sent straight to the deep bottom to begin his search far faster than any others who were forced to make the journey under their own steam. Bouncing off the underwater tiles, he quickly shook his head and began grabbing any and all of the bean bags he could in the hunt for the ones labeled for the shinobi. His own powerful leg strength pushed him through the water far quicker than anyone else and he either collected or dropped the useless ones back to the floor. Everything was going efficiently until he noticed Medaka swimming just as easily through the thick water like himself. Their eyes met briefly and her smirk spoke volumes. The challenge was set and the purplenette felt an inkling of excitement when the blond's lips curled at the blatant test and raised the bean bags already collected in his hands. The deeper you go underwater, the greater the pressure. But even thought their humongous pool's depth wasn't so vast it still made it difficult to move around in. So it was a surprise when crimson orbs took in the sight of Naruto motoring his limbs in a rush of bubbles and sending the small balls shooting towards the surface like miniature torpedoes...

And into the collective grasp of Sai and Sakura.

"Yes! Keep them coming Naruto!" the Haruno cheered as she started tossing the objects in a soft arc straight into their goal. The painter was on lookout; snatching the missiles and tossing them into the medic's arms for further throwing. Sakura merely had to bounce the bags a few times to get a feel for their weight before sending them on their merry way. No one else had such a plan in mind, or most likely couldn't do the same, and by the looks of it the ninja were in first place.

Until once again Medaka made an appearance for Team Student Council with all twenty of her bean bags held against her chest. Breaching the surface she quickly crushed the collection together into one large basketball-sized sphere and curved it through the open air to the envy of all professional b-ball athletes in existence. In one go she got a perfect score, Zenkichi and Kouki high-fiving each other from their spot at the edge of the pool as Tanzaku yelled her surprise into the microphone. They'd gotten out of the water at the beginning simply to stay out of the Abnormal's way. For something like this it was easier to let her do it all.

"**DIDN'T I SAY IT WOULDN'T BE AS EASY AS IT SOUNDS TO WIN?**" The little bluenette began munching on a sub sandwich even in the middle of her commentary."**NOT BECAUSE OF KUROKAMI, BUT BECAUSE YOU NEED A CERTAIN TECHNIQUE WHICH SHE JUST SO HAPPENED TO USE. BECAUSE OF THEIR COMBINED WEIGHT ALTOGETHER, IT'S SO MUCH EASIER TO THROW ALL THE BALLS AT ONCE INSTEAD OF ONE BY ONE. WITH GRAVITY DOING THE WORK AND A LARGER BALL TO THROW, IT MAKES AIMING SO MUCH EASIER!**"

"**E-EVEN SO, I'VE NEVER SEEN A PERSON DO IT LIKE THAT BEFORE! PLUS SHE GRABBED ALL TWENTY AT ONCE DESPITE THE WEIGHT YOU MENTIONED BUT YOU WOULD EXPECT NOTHING LESS FROM OUR AMAZING PRESIDENT!**"

"**WHILE WE'RE AT IT, I'D LIKE TO POINT OUT WHAT NARUTO AND HIS TEAM TRIED. WITH BLONDIE AS THE BLOODHOUND SNIFFING OUT THE BAGS HE SOMEHOW THREW THEM FROM THE VERY BOTTOM OF THE POOL STRAIGHT INTO HIS TEAMMATE'S ARMS. THAT WOULD TAKE AN INSANE AMOUNT OF STRENGTH TO POSSESS WITHOUT THEM LOSING ANY SPEED FROM THE FLOOR TO THE SURFACE, AND ONE AFTER ANOTHER WITHOUT TIRING!**" Naruto chose that moment to resurface, hacking and coughing for air as Sakura simultaneously made the last point and brought Team Seven up to a solid twenty. While everyone else attempted to copy Medaka's flair, the pinkette smacked and rubbed Naruto's back to get him to breathe.

"You idiot! Why did you try it in one single breath?! That was incredibly dangerous! It's not like I couldn't just throw you again!"

"Had to...beat...Medaka..."

"Well for your information we tied with her!"

Following his teammate's slender finger towards the score screen it revealed Team Konoha exactly as Sakura supplied. Though they, and a large amount of the groups were all tied for first with twenty points, Kakashi's students had their nameplate right underneath both the Swim Club and Student Council in the order they finished despite the apparent tie.

"Damn!" Naruto exclaimed while slamming his hand against the water. He thought for sure the slender kunoichi's plan would work! Maybe if Sai submerged alongside the jinchuriki...but then Sakura would have been by herself in both catching and throwing...but she could handle it...but then again...

"Don't beat yourself up Naruto. Medaka and those swimmers got lucky. We'll get them in the next events." Sai added calmly in an attempt to cool his friend's temper. "Kakashi-sensei and Yamato's reputations are on the line."

"...yeah. Yeah! You're right Sai! We'll show them how leaf ninja always come out on top!"

Sakura smiled in thanks at the dark-haired boy even as everyone else stared at the Swim Club in shock. It made sense though since all three were quite at home underwater and therefore had three times the eyes to split up and search. But how they won against Medaka of all people was what had the other teams whispering in shock.

Speaking of Hakoniwa's Student Council President, she stalked away from the trio of athletes after scolding them for disregarding their own safety in the quest to be in first. Trying to swim beneath the surface without any air in your lungs was incredibly foolhardy and the buxom teen disliked how readily they put their lives on the line...just to make some cash. Little did Kikaijima, Tanegashima, and Yakushima know but their uncaring attitude over their safety had just brought Medaka's full attention to bear on their squad.

With the first event down and two more to come, Kurokami Medaka would soon show them the error over their lust for money.

* * *

**The last chapter of this I had previously completed. I know it's still canon pretty much but that will be over soon.**

**Anyways, read and review please. Let me know what you think.**


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: See first chapter.

* * *

Chapter 5:

* * *

"**LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE NEXT COMPETITION IS THE THREE-LEGGED RACE! TWO TEAMMEMBERS WILL TIE THEIR LEGS TOGETHER AND SWIM THE POOL'S FIFTY METER LENGTH! FIRST PLACE EARNS FIFTEEN POINTS, SECOND PLACE IS FOURTEEN, THIRD IS THIRTEEN, AND SO ON! TRY NOT TO WIND UP IN THE LAST FEW PLACEMENTS OR YOU WON'T GET ANYTHING!**"

Shiranui took a glance at Aso as her fellow loli cheered into the microphone before turning to give her two cents on the matter.

"**SINCE IT'S A RACE YOU WOULD EXPECT THE TRACK TEAM TO WIN BUT AT THIS POINT THERE'S MULTIPLE TEAMS WHO COULD TAKE THE GOLD!**"

"**WELL SAID SHIRANUI-SAN. IN A FEW MOMENTS THE TIME FOR THE BREAK WILL END AND WE'LL SEE JUST WHO PROVES THEIR METTLE!**"

"Um, 'scuse me!" Naruto waved his arm frantically from the spot where he and Sai waited for the event to start. The shinobi were chosen to do the legwork while Sakura waited above ground near Medaka and Nekomi, not exactly with them but not off on her own either. She was still a bit self-conscious about her feminine maturity with the likes of those two standing there in their tight outfits.

But as Medaka turned to address the soaking blond after hearing from Nabeshima about how the swimmers were obsessed with money, to the point Kikaijima appeared to explain their dream was to fill an entire pool with the stuff, jade green eyes continued to watch the lone female of the Swim Club until Mogana couldn't take the stare anymore and snapped at her.

"What?"

"Nothing." Sakura replied, subconsciously grinding her teeth at the brunette's toned and curvy figure as well.

"Are you going to judge us over our dream as well?"

This time the rose-haired lass sighed and shook her head, sending the wet tresses not plastered to her scalp swaying about. "No. No matter what your dream is, never give up on it. It takes sacrifice to reach your goal no matter how high you've set the bar. I agree with Medaka-san in that you shouldn't kill yourself over something when there's less dangerous ways to do so, because it causes so much worry for those who care about you...but even if you're left beaten and weak...continue to push ahead. It may break your body but as long as your spirit is intact, the aspirations with never be out of reach."

Mogana stared at Sakura despite the lackluster vision without her glasses before slowly turning and walking away without a word. That was highly insightful and even with subpar eyesight, the swimmer couldn't help but notice how the pinkette had momentarily looked towards her loudmouthed friend waiting in the water. It was just...too philosophical for anybody to focus on right now. The girl was just trying to throw her off her game by saying something meaningful and acting like she was on Kikaijima's side.

But for the entire second race the ample athlete continued to stew over Sakura's words.

The catty third-year left to her own devices blatantly listened in on their conversation before smirking in interest at the kunoichi's view on working hard. She could totally get behind that. It made sense a buddy of Naruto's would subscribe to the same kind of work ethic.

Meanwhile during the dialogue between females, Kurokami had kneeled down next to Naruto as everyone else listened in to what pressing issue caught the sage's attention. His team already did something crazy during the firs event, and it was possibly they could get a few pointers in case the jinchuriki gave something away with his questioning. Looking down into his blue (but slightly bloodshot from the chlorine) irises the superwoman gave an expression of polite interest. "Yes, Second-year Uzumaki?"

"I just want to make something clear. Since it's a race in the pool, that means if you get out then you're disqualified?"

"Naturally."

"Okay. But does that mean only if your body gets outside the boundary of the pool? Like if I pulled myself up there and stood next to you. But what I mean is what if you're not _in _the water, but instead above it or something, but still within the border of the pool?" He pointed towards the cement lip he was leaning against for the first part before gesturing his arms out towards its entirety.

The purplenette rubbed her chin thoughtfully before the busty teenager looked around. "So long as no part of your body exits the bounds of the established race area, such as in an attempt to cheat, you will not be disqualified. I believe I understand what you are trying to imply and therefore I hope for a good show. Good luck to you, Team Konoha." With a quick smile Medaka stood up just as Tanzaku's expressive voice once again filled the building with its energetic announcements and the others tried to make sense of what Naruto was implying. The tiny senior was bouncing in her chair next to Hansode and her small pile of food, unable to wait any longer for another exciting event in a quest for bragging rights and a cash prize.

"**THE BREAK TIMER HAS REACHED ITS LIMIT SO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS, FOLKS! I HOPE EVERYONE COMPETING CAN MATCH THEIR PARTNER'S STRIDE OR ELSE THERE'S GOING TO BE TROUBLE AHEAD! AAAAAAAAND...ON YOUR MARKS...GET SET...GO!"**

Each time started pushing their way through the water in an attempt to make the most points and snag the lead spot. While most were taking a slower but still brisk pace, the pair of blonds from the Student Council were fighting each other with all they had. Even so, Hitoyoshi and Akune were barreling down the line faster than the others. The only ones ahead of them were the swimmers...and the ninjas.

Originally Yakushima and Tanegashima were going to take it slow; find their stride before blowing everyone's mind with another dangerous stunt of swimming side by side. Even with their legs wrapped together the pair of greedy teens would have crossed the pool far sooner than anyone else. But a snag developed at the very beginning and the duo began at full steam in the hopes they'd get a come from behind victory and secure first place for another round. What changed their minds you may ask? Well...

"...**GET SET...GO!**"

"Let's do it Sai!"

"Yes!"

The two warriors, in spite of being submerged up to chests, suddenly rose out of the water like they had inflation devices under their feet and began literally running down the pool across the _surface_ of the liquid like it was land. The very sight of the twosome's supernatural act caused most of the teams to gape in sheer astonishment and the Swim Club to put it into overdrive. But even in their natural element Naruto and Sai held the advantage in speed, clearly finishing the race far sooner than anyone else and bringing the outsiders right into the lead.

"**DI-DID ANYONE ELSE SEE THAT OR ARE MY EYES DECIEVING ME?! THE UNKNOWN TEAM JUST STOOD ATOP THE WATER AND RAN LIKE IT WAS SOLID GROUND! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! ...AND AS A MATTER OF FACT YOU DON'T SEEM SURPRISED IN THE LEAST SHIRANUI-SAN!**"

"...**EH. IF THERE'S ONE THING YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT WHISKERS THERE, IT'S TO EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED.**"

"**BUT FOR BOTH MEMBERS TO CLEARLY DO THE IMPOSSIBLE?! I CAN ALREADY SEE SOME TEAMS DISPUTING THEIR WIN!**"

"**IF YOU RECALL NARUTO ALREADY ASKED KUROKAMI IN AN INCREDIBLY VAGUE WAY WHETHER OR NOT HIS STRATEGY WAS LEGAL. AT NO POINT DID EITHER OF THEM REMOVE THEMSELVES FROM THE POOL. NO ONE EXPECTED THEM TO ACTUALLY GET ABOVE THE WATER, BUT THEN AGAIN THEY WERE STILL IN THE OFFICIAL RACE MARGINS. COMPLAIN ALL YOU WANT, THEY DID NOTHING WRONG!**"

In light of the circumstances the crew of ninja still came away with the full fifteen points. Second place was the incredibly irritated swim team and third was surprisingly the track members. But the eel catching event that came next...well, Sakura came in second. The pinkette rather wished she'd done the damn race instead of trying to pick up the slimy, wriggling creatures but as a combat medic she'd seen and touched worse. Grabbing them was hard enough but keeping hold was just troublesome. They kept slipping away and as her temper finally snapped she punched the water and sent both the liquid and eels (and a few unfortunate students close by) high into the air. From there the girl simply picked up the stunned creatures just as the bell rang signifying the round was over.

So close though. Kikaijima had one extra than Sakura with the animals wiggling about in her suit. An interesting way to keep them contained but no one else was willing to put them inside their swimwear. The score was decided upon how many the different teams collected. At thirteen points to twelve, both the Swim Club and Team Konoha were currently tied for first place.

On a separate note, poor Medaka and her repelling aura couldn't get near a single eel, netting the Student Council a solid zero.

When Tanegashima gloated over how they were going to win so much money off this thing, Medaka's ire at failing where animals were involved again caused her turn her attentions to the participants and proclaim she would without a doubt reform the trio of money lovers and rid them of their greed. The shark-like boy, flanked by his companions, told her to bring it on. And as it was, they were all on the last event of the day...something called a cavalry battle. Each group had two people in the water with one in front of the other and the last teammate standing between them on their conjoined arms. The jockeyed person wore a headband with a marker signifying who it belonged to. But the point in all this was to go around and steal as many headbands as possible with the winner holding the most at the end of the trial.

According to Shiranui though, depending on your rank equated to the amount of points your headband was worth. With seventeen teams...whoever grabbed number one was getting a solid seventeen points. The winner would be whoever stole the most expensive pieces of cloth. So at the bluenette's explanation, all eyes turned towards the Swim Club and the ninjas. Both were tied at forty-seven points apiece with the Student Council squeaking into a tentative third with thirty-three.

"If we snag the headband from those strangers, we'll secure our place in first." Yakushima stated from his lead at the front of the 'horse'. "But they're a bunch of tricky bastards. I don't think rushing them head on will work to our advantage."

"I agree with you on that...no matter how much I want to see that blond punk fail. We'll be going after the President's team anyways." Tanegashima said as he and Naruto locked eyes. Kikaijima's aura had turned murderous, and it was entirely focused on the buxom purplenette. If only Medaka hadn't proclaimed beforehand that there was more to life than making money...

With said outsiders, the jinchuriki was at the front of their conjoined huddle while Sai came up the rear and Sakura stood tall between them. Naruto stuck out his tongue at the shark-like boy before looking over his shoulder as best as he could. "You two ready for this?"

"Just leave it to me. No one's stealing my headband." the pinkette stated resolutely as she held her bicep and pumped the arm. They'd have to be some kind of superhuman to drag the piece of cloth away from the powerful kunoichi. Plus, in a way, it was almost like her own hitai-ate...and to have that identifier stolen without a fight was an affront to every proud shinobi in existence. Cracking her knuckles she stared down Medaka's team, the only one besides the swimmers who she believed posed a threat.

"How long do you think we have to stay like this? The position is somewhat draining on the arms." Sai asked. With Sakura standing on his and Naruto's joined hands, even with the cushion of the pool water it put pressure on the joints. The pair of ninja could handle it no sweat but the rather pale individual was simply curious. The Haruno however took the innocent query as something else.

"...are you calling me fat?"

By now Sai understood (at least) how to properly answer such a loaded question. He didn't feel like getting turned into a punching bag anytime soon. That was Naruto's thing. "Of course not."

"Good," Sakura said as she smiled sweetly, "Because if you drop me then **I drop you**."

"We can switch if you want Sai, although I'm not sure if being in the front is any better."

"You're not taking the back position Naruto."

"Why not?"

"Because all you'll do is stare at my ass."

"...no I won't!" he exclaimed, aghast. Did she really think so little of him? His feelings for her may have cooled after all this time and Sasuke was still the front runner in her own heart so the very idea that...she would think...ah hell, now he totally would just because she put the idea in his head. Despite the changes in their relationship, she was still an attractive young woman. Looking away the blond after a moment's deliberation he attempted to appear nonchalant as Sakura crossed her arms over her small chest and huffed.

"Yeah. That's what I thought. You can't fool me, idiot."

Aso and Shiranui's countdown to the start of the match stopped the Uzumaki from digging himself deeper. As the numbers dwindled, each team tensed and readied themselves for the upcoming struggle. The conjoined cry of 'ONE' by the pair of short announcers was offset a second later as the okay was given and the pool became a flurry of activity when the boys and girls started their epic struggle. Medaka and Kikaijima clasped hands as their groups faced each other down, attempting to overpower the other although Ms. President was giving the weaker girl a sporting chance.

Meanwhile the trio of ninja was steadily making their way through the lesser teams, who either thought everything involving the outsiders had been some weird fluke up until now or were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. After stealing the art club's cloth Naruto slowed their advance to a halt as familiar spikes of green appeared before him; Nabeshima stood atop her pyramid with hands on shapely hips and that ever present smile she must have been born with. Two other female judo practitioners acted as the base, though unlike the pair of shinobi, the girls were showing obvious signs of strain.

"Yo, Nekomi-chan. Mind just giving us your headband?"

"What would I get in return?" she asked while her grin widened, forcing Sakura to scoff at the blatant (and terrible) attempt at flirting, "I'd say convince me, but with such a wonderful prize on the line I have to decline regardless. I think it'd be better for us to just...huh?"

In the background, Hansode roared something as Medaka was thrown off balance and began to fall, only to regain her balance on one of Zenkichi's pool floaties after he chucked on onto the water near her. He'd done so in a snap decision, but still Medaka discerned when and where it would fall and reacted accordingly. Just like how the shinobi defied logic, she too now stood atop the water on an insignificant cushion of air and plastic. Hearing the conviction in Kikaijima's voice over how money was the most important thing in the world, even after it essentially ruined all the three of the swim club members' lives, had momentarily caught the super woman off guard. But not anymore. Mogana only had a few seconds to think before she was speared off the top of her mount by her fellow pretty female and, in the time between falling and hitting the pool water, was treated to the sight of the Kurokami heiress with an unnaturally cutesy look.

The swimmers believed cash was the highest priority, even over their own health and safety. But Medaka's abnormal will towards helping others would have none of that. Money would always be around. If it was lost, then it could be earned back. But a life...

"IF YOU DIED, I WOULD BE SAD!"

Channeling all the caring, love, and compassion she could muster Medaka crashed her lips to the brunette's. Only Hitoyoshi seemed the least surprised by the unprecedented assault. That had been Medaka's _Proof of One's Worth #3: Overflowing Love_. No matter who you were or what your standing in life was, the purplenette believed said life should be cherished. The kiss was an act of empathy, to show that there was at least one other person in the world who cared no matter what.

The two splashed into the chlorinated liquid still entwined with one another, taking both the Swim Club and Student Council out of the running. But since Medaka stole Kikaijima's headband mid-flight she still earned herself sixteen points for the second place takedown. Even though the red-eyed freshman had originally left her 'horse', she never actually went into the water thanks to her childhood friend's quick thinking.

"Whoa," Naruto said quietly with heated cheeks, "I wasn't expecting that."

Nobody was, but then again it seemed that with Medaka in the spotlight, even girl-on-girl action wasn't out of the picture. But the outcome was a positive one. The swimmers were still obsessed with getting rich, but the President's unorthodox method and follow up explanation later on at least helped Yakushima, Tanegashima, and Kikaijima to realize that their dream was important...but having others to share it with even better.

It was sappy and dramatic. But Kurokami Medaka was good at what she did.

In the present the blond jinchuriki felt everyone's weight shift and he turned back around from the spectacle, to see Sakura holding Nabeshima by the wrist with an entirely un-amused look gracing the pinkette's face. The Foul King still grinned but the expression was obviously strained as the two groups stood neck and neck with each other. While everyone was distracted by Medaka's heated kiss, the senior had seen and opening and took it. However...jade green eyes blinked dryly before the medic simply used her strength to keep Nekomi from moving before casually removing her headband and, almost lazily, pushing the other girl off her perch.

"Nice try, but if you thought that would work on me then you've got another thing coming," Sakura said as the Judo squad was removed from play although they themselves had a solid lead on pretty much every other group save for one. And with two of the three big teams disqualified, and most headbands now in the hands of other participants, the final task in Hakoniwa's Inter-School Swim Meet ultimately was drawn to a close. Team Konoha had just squeaked out in first place. Shiranui's announcement of such a thing had Naruto crowing in joy; any money issues were finished no matter how long he spent outside the Elemental Nations now and if not, he was a resourceful guy.

Hugging his two teammates, the ninja leapt from the pool with ease and landed in front of Medaka and co. with a massive grin. Holding out his hand after releasing the other Konoha natives, the busty first-year across from Naruto was confused for the barest of seconds before her eyes softened and she returned the action with a friendly grip. "This was actually pretty fun. I would've wanted to do it regardless, even if we weren't able to get the prize."

"It was nice to have you as well as your friends," she replied warmly. Releasing his hold, the Abnormal pulled back and crossed her arms under her bust before an idea came to mind. It was devious...but sometimes drastic measures had to be taken. "Now as promised you shall receive three times the prize money, though you are ineligible for the club funds. The Judo Team shall be the recipients for that since they too were able to take a place higher than the Student Council. Give me till the end of the week to properly secure everyone's resources and I will have the money awaiting you in my office."

"Take your time. I'm in no rush."

"Indeed," Medaka replied with a grin before her vision turned to the pink-haired woman and her pale counterpart standing behind the blond enigma, "Do you mind if I take a moment to speak with your companions? I find myself curious about something and require their input on the matter."

"Uh...sure? You don't need my permission for that." Stepping out of the way Naruto allowed the beautiful teen to stroll past him and usher his comrades to a safe distance while the others loitered about. Zenkichi and Akune couldn't decide whether or not to look annoyed or impressed at everything that just went down, Shiranui had vacated her post and was laughing at her friend's misfortune, and the swimmers...actually looked more like friends now while speaking quietly to one another. The rest of the students were all noise and movement; nothing else was keeping them here now besides disappointment so they were heading off to the changing rooms before enjoying the rest of their weekend.

It made Naruto wonder what he should do as well. Sakura mentioned looking about, so maybe the three of them could just hang out and mess around the city. In the leaf village they did so as well, but there was the lingering ploy hanging over their heads regarding how they could each be called off for a mission at any given time. Even during a day off. But out here such a problem was absent and...they could just be teenagers.

How weird.

Once Medaka deemed she had moved the two ninja far enough for privacy concerns (since Naruto was full of surprises and the purplenette had yet to discover if his hearing was as good as hers) she gazed at the inquisitive pair and set her hands on her hips. "I am sorry to bother you with this, but since you both know Uzumaki Naruto better than anyone else I require your assistance with something."

"Sure...what's the problem?"

Her jaw shifted as Medaka searched for the correct words to use. "He has shown to be immensely stubborn towards the idea of enrolling here at Hakoniwa, to further his education and the perks of edification, so I would like to know what you think needs to be-"

"Wait, wait, wait. Hold on," Sakura said sharply while lifting her hands in front of her body, "You're trying to make Naruto- yellow hair, whiskers, blue eyes- go back to school?"

"Yes. Though he has denied every attempt, I know it will do him a world of good. I will not give up on him, nor anyone else who requires help." Medaka's brow furrowed and the first sign of a slip in her confidence shown through. Only the barest sliver, but the crack had appeared. "It is actually one of the more difficult tasks laid before me. That is why I ask of you to assist me. Perhaps he will actually listen to those he is relatively close to."

The Haruno sighed explosively and rubbed the skin between her eyes while Sai's expression had become thoughtful. "Look...I agree that an education is a wonderful thing. I love to learn, and I'll tell you so does Naruto. But not in the way you think. He is _not_ the scholarly type. He was the worst in our class back at the academy and spent more time goofing off and pranking people than actual work. He's a doer. Not a thinker, even though over the last few years he's actually become pretty good at that as well. I'll tell you right now- getting Uzumaki Naruto to willingly return to a classroom with homework and other such things is downright impossible. He graduated once, and barely. He's not looking to do it again."

"I was afraid of that. Though I understand your point of view, I too am rather stubborn. It is almost like a game between myself and him..." Bowing her head slightly the female Kurokami then turned and did the same to Sai. He had nothing to add but the painter was still a part of the conversation. "Thank you for your time."

"Yeah...don't mention it."

"She is an interesting one," the former ROOT operative commented as Medaka returned to the others, leaving him and Sakura to their thoughts. The healer casually folded her arms, with one hand supporting an elbow while the other was placed against her bicep, and shrugged.

"I would use the word 'weird' but after everything we've experienced, being normal doesn't really cut it anymore."

Moments later with both his shirt and Sai's clothes Naruto jogged up to his friends, handing over the bluish outfit to their owner before shrugging on his own top. "So what was that about?"

"She really wants you to go to school. What did you do to get her so fired up?"

"Oh...I don't really know. I think it's because I'm hanging around here at Hakoniwa without actually being a student, like her brother. You're lucky Medaka-chan didn't start on you two either. I think I'm gonna speak to Zenkichi about it...he's known her for a long time, so he might know the reason she's so hung up on it."

With nothing left to keep them there, as even the Swim Team had picked themselves up and vanished by now, Team Seven decided to head back to Ghost Babel. Medaka declined any help on their part in cleaning up...since all they really had to do was close up the building and return the keys to the janitor.

She watched them leave though before the Abnormal girl turned to the placid waters of the pool with a pensive look upon her face. Walking to the edge, she knelt to stare at her reflection in the lulling waves before suddenly lifting her arm and striking the surface. Ignoring the sputtering of her subordinates as everything within a five foot radius was soaked, Medaka peered at her knuckles with a frown.

"Medaka-chan, what the hell?!"

"...It _is_ different," she replied evenly without giving any further explanation. Returning to her feet, the pair of blonds were treated to the sight of their leader's face being overtaken by wry amusement seconds before she fell into the pool after taking a step forward. Fluffing her wet hair out behind her shoulders upon resurfacing, Medaka turned and pulled herself out with little effort prior to starting her stroll to the female changing room. She smiled her usual Kurokami smirk towards Kouki and Zenkichi while she passed them without ever breaking stride. "We have been keeping interesting company as of late, have we not?"

The two men shared a look, wondering what had possessed their incredible President to randomly hit the water followed by falling into it for no apparent reason. They just chalked it up to Medaka being Medaka...although even for her that was kind of odd.

* * *

Haruno Sakura was not surprised very easily. She was teammates with three of the most powerful ninja in existence, a powerhouse in her own right, a combat medic which required a sharp and clinical mind, and lived within one of the most prosperous hidden villages in the entire Elemental Nations. But now that the slender kunoichi had free reign to wander the streets of 'normal' society outside of her homeland, the girl's eyes were wide in wonder while she attempted to take in everything all at once.

It was so different...the technology, the people, the fashion...oh, Ino would have had a field day browsing the shops of the leisure district Sakura had inevitably wandered into. Naruto had ushered them off to Hakoniwa straight after arriving in Japan, and she'd been teased with the sights, smells, and sounds of a culture more advanced than theirs in some ways, yet equal in others. Perhaps that's why her brain was analyzing and making comparisons between the two; they seemed to share many things in common.

Shaking her head in an act to clear her thoughts, the pinkette focused on her original target. Unlike several minutes ago the street had become oddly empty save for a few bystanders browsing the shop windows. Jade orbs traveled between the young girl sitting by herself on a bench and an obnoxiously loud couple a bit farther down. Having no desire to listen to that unbearable laughter more than she needed to Sakura quickly made her way to the child and took a chance on her knowledge. Said girl looked up and blinked as a shadow overtook her smaller form, partly blocking out the sun as Sakura leaned down with her arms supported by her knees a gentle smile gracing her lips.

"Hello there. My name's Sakura. I'm new to the area so do you mind if I ask you a question?"

She was a short young thing, possibly a grade schooler, with spiky yellow hair with most of it tied back in a ponytail by use of a red ribbon. She looked innocent enough with her yellow sundress (though the addition of the lab coat was a rather strange), and along with her blue eyes Sakura could have mistaken the little darling for her oaf of a teammate's sister despite knowing it was impossible. Then again she did look oddly familiar, in a way she couldn't explain. The girl quirked one of her eyebrows in a rather adult manner before the look was lost and her expression became sparkly innocent.

"Sure! What'cha need?"

My, she was a lively one. Blondes must have shared that attribute. "Do you happen to know where the nearest hospital is? Don't worry, I'm not hurt or anything. I just have an interest in the medical field."

Her features screwed up thoughtfully while the child crossed her arms and hummed. She suddenly pointed to Sakura's right and smiled merrily. "In that direction there's a bunch of rocks that used to be a hospital. They've been there for a...a decade! But the other way has a real one!"

Feeling curious but chalking the silly description up to her age, the kunoichi cocked her head but smiled politely all the same. "I see. Well, thank you for your help, sweetie." Standing back up Sakura took a moment to look around before returning her gaze back to the other female, "Ah, are your parents nearby? It doesn't feel right leaving you all by yourself."

"Yeah, they're in there. They won't be much longer and they can see me through the window."

Sakura balked as she followed the pointing finger to a lingerie shop. Well...okay, it wasn't the sort of store for a child to be wandering into. Somewhat mollified that this wasn't just an unattended kid wandering about the city, Sakura's smile returned and she nodded her assent. "That's good then. Take care, and thanks again."

The two waved to each other before the foreigner spun on her heel and began walking in the direction of the ruins of the former Hakoniwa General Hospital. It didn't make sense...why just leave the remains of the building lying about? If it had been a recent demolition then Sakura could understand but the girl said it had been years and yet no one had bothered to do anything about the rubble.

Or she could have been lying, or thought the word 'decade' meant something else.

Either way the ninja believed it at least warranted a quick look before her journey took her the other way.

Back at the bench, the youngster watched Sakura leave with abject interest as all traces of her childishness faded from view. Though she had a tattoo on her face for all to see, a simple diamond, She had been a courteous young thing. It followed the old adage of not judging a book by its cover...something Hitoyoshi Hitomi knew far too well. Playing the fool and acting the age she looked was always a bit of fun, and no one ever realized she was in her early forties, an accomplished surgeon, with a teenager for a son.

Hopping off her seat and readjusting the doctor's jacket tailored to her small frame, the blonde began following after Sakura with a spring in her step. At the moment she had barely anything going on, wasting some time here among the shops until her little Zenkichi came home from his school event, but this was much better than watching people browsing for new pants. The two shared an interest in medical science and when given a choice, the newcomer decided Hitomi's former workplace warranted a look.

Following that logic, Hitomi decided Sakura warranted a closer look as well.

* * *

Sakura may have been in high spirits, but Naruto was frowning as if his life depended on it. He'd been doing fine, only experiencing the slightest of discomforts in a certain area of his body since he'd first left Konoha, and therefore ignored the advice given to the blond because he knew his battered form better than anyone else. But when he gathered Sai and Sakura for the swim event and his medical friend immediately honed in on the fact his right arm- or the lower portion of the arm that was actually a CULTIVATED and GROWN Mokuton replacement- was unbound against the counsel regarding his health, well...

The pinkette's explosive temper/worriment over the wellbeing of her idiotic comrade chewed Naruto out for five straight minutes before he timidly reminded her that they needed to be somewhere. Suffice to say once the excitement had finished and the three ninja retired to Ghost Babel, Sakura ignored personal boundaries by rooting through the jinchuriki's belongings and retrieving the bulky roll of specially made bandages he simply stuck in his pack as an afterthought. They were chakra-infused and thick but flexible. The energy sufficing its threads had one simple purpose: to help the fake tenketsu within Naruto's new limb remain connected to the natural ones where they connected.

Given time the faux energy points could slip, throwing off his control as well as causing a pain similar to blocked tenketsu since the chakra couldn't flow properly. Since he had so much time to understand the complexities of the fleshy wood, Madara must have found a way to create both his and Obito's substitutes without the constant need of repair. Konoha didn't have that luxury, or at least not yet. Just look at what happened with Danzo when his Mokuton DNA lost control, and he kept that thing hidden and unused for years because it took an amazing amount of control to maintain.

He also had illegal Sharingan implanted in that limb...but regardless...

Sakura stood there and watched him wrap it up, rating his effort somewhat harshly before losing her edge and readjusting the bandages with a gentler hand. The kunoichi was just worried for him. She meant well. Especially after the events that led up to the whiskered goof gaining a stump. As one of his personal doctors she then confined him to his room for the rest of the night and gesturing that he damn well better listen to her before taking Sai and walking off to visit the neighboring city. They even took some of the remaining money he had left from his own sightseeing tour.

As much as he despised being 'grounded', especially because there was literally nothing keeping him from escaping for now...this gave him time to mess around. His chakra control was literally one of the best around now, even with the minor slip caused by his lack of attention towards his arm, and the power of the tailed beasts opened so many new possibilities. Along with the Senju cells now grafted to his body...he potentially had use of the Wood Release (as well as others) like Obito and Madara.

With that in mind he had an outlet to follow the girl's advice to stay out of trouble _and_ keep himself entertained at the very same time!

Clapping his hands together in the Snake seal he dredged up the water and earth chakras he was now privy to and hoped for the best.

* * *

Sai was quite impressed by the size of this bookstore, having broken away from Sakura after the two arrived. They were both experienced adults so splitting up was no big deal...and if either got lost they merely had to follow the beacon that constituted Naruto's chakra capacity. Even without the two of them possessing sensor abilities, it wasn't too hard to hone in on the vast sensation of the jinchuriki's energy pool and just follow that back. It was almost outrageous how large his reserves had grown. But his focus was here on the immediate area and Sai could put his friend's presence out of mind for now.

My...two stories tall, taking up an entire corner, with so many styles of books he could have stayed in here for hours browsing the aisles and what they portrayed. Graphic novels, text books, almanacs, maps, foreign languages, and so many involving art. Plus all kinds of self-help books which had drawn the boy in the moment he discovered their existence. It didn't matter who they were aimed towards or what they pertained to: Sai gave them a look over.

The ink-user paid no attention to the curious and/or troubled stare he received from the nearest person in the store when he grabbed a novel pertaining to handling feminine relationships. For one thing, he was reading a rather risqué tome due to its intimate information...but the dark-haired boy had the look of someone with mild interest, and not the perverse kind. A general seeker of knowledge on things he didn't understand, more like.

Color her intrigued.

But before the woman could open her mouth the mysterious male suddenly jerked and his oddly dull eyes widened. Slapping the book back into its spot he made a hasty retreat and positively vanished the moment he was out the door.

"...well that was odd," she exclaimed in the following silence, "Someone was in quite the rush."

* * *

Naruto coughed, waving his hand through the haze of sawdust and mortar floating in the air while he stared upwards towards the sky. Flat on his back, the pinkish-red heavens of a sinking sun was quite the pretty sight. However this was something he should not have been able to see from a reclined position, or at least by looking directly up. Where a ceiling should have been. And more floors of the ridiculous construction plan that composed Ghost Babel.

But alas, that would be the normal state of things had anything about his life been _normal_. As it was the blond did indeed discover his new affinity towards creating wood out of chakra though he had been overzealous in his attempt at creating something cool. Mokuton was quite malleable, even more than the others which could form fiery dragons and miniature earthen walls shaped like dog heads. Uzumaki Naruto was a simple man though, and attempted a simple solution. But he did so with the gusto that made him the enigmatic portion of Team Seven.

So there was now a tree growing out of the window of his room. A really big one that was growing at least twenty-five feet from where it sprouted, and was continuously spreading further at a snail's pace. Ghost Babel looked even more lopsided than before now. He tried to make small branches sprout from his door, but those branches became a trunk and the trunk grew wide and space inevitably became limited. It happened so fast he was blown outwards through the pane of glass like a scene from a movie only to hit the ground a few stories below rather roughly. The jinchuriki was winded but such a fall had nothing on other injuries he'd sustained before.

"Cool," he wheezed out before wincing at the pain of a rock digging into his spine, "I can make trees."

A tint of deep purple joined with the hues of red as Maguro's fringe appeared at the edge of his vision. The male was wide-eyed in disbelief, though the shock was muted somewhat by the sheer fact he now had the addition of a nice leaf-less oak growing sideways out of his building. Abnormals could do many things but as of yet, creating wood was not a skill anyone had showcased. And Naruto was a Normal, something he had to keep telling himself despite all signs slapping him in the face. He had yet to hear of the swimming exploits earlier that day as well. The older boy hadn't gone despite it being on campus, merely having asked the blond to snag some pics of his sister (which the bastard had conveniently forgotten to do) so the water-walking was still unknown.

"There is a tree growing out of my home."

Naruto just coughed and remained prone. "Yup."

"As that happens to be your room, and your belongings are currently hanging from the branches, I assume you are the reason behind it."

"Yup."

Maguro sighed heavily and placed a hand against his forehead. "You will be fixing that. Or repairing that. Or removing it. Whatever, I don't care how."

Only moments later a great black shape swooped down as Sai returned to the campus, riding atop a massive black bird that seemed to be made by calligraphy brush strokes out of old Japanese paintings. The moment the male jumped off his perch it literally melted into a puddle of ink, dark eyes focusing on the addition to the building before tilting down at the grinning blond. To Maguro's surprise Sai did not showcase much shock over the use of Mokuton, though that was only because Maguro barely knew the strangely pale boy and his lack of most mannerisms.

Sai had felt the massive surge of chakra all the way back in town, and that's what made him come running. He was rather amazed the last of their trio hadn't made swooped in yet like a bat out of hell. "Sakura is going to be quite mad at you," he simply said.

"...wouldn't be the first time," was the equally simple reply.

Kurokami Maguro sighed again and just walked away from the conversing visitors. Naruto was a quick link to his sexy special sister...but perhaps housing the interesting ninja wasn't as awesome as he originally thought if these were the sort of shenanigans that would mark his tenure.

* * *

What was Sakura doing though, that kept her from calmly berating Naruto with the edge of her knuckles?

She was already engaged in a frantic melee with some girl who could apparently counter all her moves seconds after the pinkette made them. Which was rather impressive...except this clearly wasn't the time to be amazed. Sakura had been put off by the sight of the desolate ruins, full buildings missing great chunks of concrete and foundation as though something simply tore them away, but had continued onto the vacant grounds anyways. Hakoniwa General Hospital was what the rusted plaque on the gate claimed and the kunoichi could have just left it at that. But the signs of damage were odd to say the least, and the green-eyed girl figured she could handle any sort of creature that might still be around.

Traversing the halls had been easy. Nothing leapt out at her and her keen senses did not detect anything following or stalking her movements. But the deeper she went, the creepier the atmosphere seemed to become. And when someone actually did appear, it was not at all what the Haruno expected.

Slim and slender, with flowing golden hair and big brown eyes set in a light-skinned face. Strangely enough, even though this was a shell of a former medical station, the newcomer wore a long frock tailored to look like an altered nurse's uniform and a cap with small fuzzy pom-pom adornments. Despite sharing the same body type, Sakura was put off by the gentle smile and royal beauty she exuded. At least she wasn't like those Medaka, Nabeshima, and Kikaijima girls with their full figures...but the sight of her prettiness was soon forgotten over the fact this was turning into a rather creepy situation.

Dark shadows, no lights, a silent woman dressed like an employee in the remains of a former hospital. If Naruto was here he'd be screaming about ghosts.

Slowly reaching into her purse, Sakura swiftly withdrew a shuriken and threw it at the supposed spirit with a deft flick of her wrist to try and test the obstruction. Instead of merely passing through her and either disrupting or dispelling it, the other girl easily dodged the spinning projectile despite its speed and yet never lost the pleasant look on her face. "That wasn't very nice," she said in a rather melodious tone, "But I suppose it gives me more of a reason to expel you from the premises by a show of force."

In a surprise move the girl shot forward and the fight was on. To Sakura's utter discontentment, her opponent was quite strong. And fast. And agile. While the ninja could defend easily enough, whenever she threw out a punch or kick it was always stopped before she could even follow through. When Sakura started to crank up the juice so to speak, a small crease appeared on the blonde's flawless skin in spite of the still present happiness, although the melee continued uninterrupted.

But the lack of info on why she was under attack by an astonishingly powerful opponent rankled the medic. Sure, she threw a throwing star at her but it was...an honest mistake. Even though the pinkette was trespassing, she could have just asked for Sakura to leave!

When the girl suddenly split into eight hundred identical copies of herself that caused the hallway to heavily overcrowd, the foreigner's eye twitched.

Deeper within the premises, an older male in a black suit and white lab coat sat in a swivel chair with his hands folded in his lap and a neutrally amicable expression. His dark green hair was spiked up with some breaking free to fall forward over his forehead, sharp eyebrows, lean dark brown eyes, and a thin beard along his chin. He pitied the young woman who found her way into his headquarters but the secrecy Tsurubami Fukurou required must be maintained. It was why he sent Yuzuriha Kakegae to take care of the problem. Well that, and Kotobuki was currently away.

Kakegae was enough anyways. If his plans proceeded as they were meant to, he was not to be discovered for months when the festivities kicked off. Any sooner than that could throw off everything he had worked to orchestrate. Hmmm...or would it? That still remained to be seen but then again-

The door to his office, dimly lit but probably one of the only rooms in the entire building that still looked habitable, burst open as Yuzuriha's lithe form shot inside and smacked into the far wall. Followed by another. And another. Until about seven copies of the blonde were left unconscious in the room. A vengeful beast stomped in soon after with a clenched jaw and clear signs of anger, an emotion he recognized but hardly understood. Barring that Tsurubami was slightly impressed by the sight of this pink-haired intruder having actually made it this far though his impassive mask never changed.

She was panting from exertion of near-constant battle and the muscles in her neck and face were tense after having to wade through a sea of nurses in ankle-length dresses, who somehow used a cheap copy of her friend's favored technique. Fukurou didn't even wait for the female to say a word before he himself opened his mouth; the black tattoo on his tongue was seen for just a moment as brown eyes locked onto a vein pulsing in her temple and he began to speak. "Be qui-"

Fukurou looked mildly confused at the sudden pain in his mouth, along with the rest of his sentence coming out in an indistinguishable mumble. Something small dashed past him and pulled the girl away rather quickly as the man raised curious fingers to his lips, feeling the delicate but strong threads sewing his mouth shut. He raised a green eyebrow at the discovery before sighing through his nose and swiveling around to grab a set of scissors from his desk. It had been too dark for proper identification but the size of the second intruder, the impeccable thread-work...

No. Nothing had changed. If it had truly been who Tsurubami thought it was, she most likely was mirroring his thoughts. But that's where the similarities ended. Working out his jaw after slicing the fibers, the man marveled at the skill it took to only pierce through the outermost superficial layer of skin in the blink of an eye and yet do so in a way that rendered him mute. Truly, Hitomi hadn't let her skills rust since they last worked together so long ago.

"That girl is pretty strong," Yuzuriha claimed merrily as she stepped through the broken door, "Far stronger than I was expecting. She defeated my seven hundred and ninety-nine clones without pause, although I was able to slip away without notice. The strangest part about the encounter was the fact she didn't seem very surprised to see me multiply."

"Tell me about her."

"I don't believe she had an ulterior motive for entering these ruins. She kept muttering about 'why no one cleaned up' and 'what could have happened here' before my entrance. A tourist I'd wager. She also gave no signs of being Abnormal despite the power in her arms. Still, once I made myself known she threw a shuriken of all things at me." Kakegae placed a finger against her chin as she looked towards the ceiling, "It was quite rude, but I used that to justify following your orders about killing her."

"Yet she escaped."

"It's not entirely my fault! Additional use of my Eight Hundred Lies Style would have created too much unwanted attention we don't want!" The blonde pouted cutely before calming down and changing the subject. "I couldn't tell what saved her from your Style."

"An old acquaintance, I wager."

"...Is that not a bad thing?"

"Well," Fukurou began as she turned back around. His friendly cheer remained but the aura about him had most definitely changed, "I would normally agree with you on that. We may have to temporarily amend our location until things have calmed themselves, whether or not there is a follow-up investigation to the inevitable claim of someone inhabiting an abandoned hospital. But the fact of the matter is that her eyes must have played tricks on her and if she herself has trouble believing it, who else would?" The calm but serious male leaned forward while placing a hand against his chest. A chest with a heart situated within it that only still worked because he forced it to. "I must be some sort of lookalike dredged up by her memories of this place. After all, Tsurubami Fukurou has been dead for years."

Yuzuriha conceded that point to her boss. The man was killed in front of many witnesses despite somehow sitting there in his seat no worse for the wear. But that went against logic. However, in a world with things such as Abnormals and Specials (and shinobi, as these types were starting to learn) a man keeping himself from fully turning into a corpse through use of a personal ability wasn't as impossible as it **should** have been.

* * *

"What's wrong Sakura-chan?"

The girl blinked and broke from her thoughts at Naruto's uncharacteristically soft tone. She looked up to see Sai, Maguro, and the blond boy all watching her carefully from their seats in the kitchen. Ever since her return to the school last night the pinkette had seemed out of it. She barely chewed him out for 'straining' his arm with Mokuton despite him fixing everything up right as rain. Plus she was in the company of a young girl that Medaka's brother was apparently stunned to see, but he shook it off and kept quiet in thought as the child smiled in an overtly kind manner before skipping away.

Now they were all around eating breakfast before the Uzumaki escorted them back to the weird travel gateway thing between the Elemental Nations and Japan that only senior ninja and/or people in the know were allowed access to. The weather outside was crappy today and the gentle patter of rainfall at least gave some kind of background ambiance during the quiet meal. But Naruto was Naruto, and silence always began to wear on him if he wasn't trying to meditate or be sneaky. Plus one of his close friends seemed out of it since her trip into town yesterday and so naturally he was worried.

"I've just been thinking Naruto," she responded in turn, "About the fight yesterday, the one I told you about. It wasn't a big deal but the girl was surprisingly strong."

"How strong?"

"Nothing I couldn't handle, but she still kept me on my toes. There wasn't a fighting style exactly...but more than half of the time she intervened only seconds after I started moving in to attack. Either she possessed frightening foresight or knew what I was going to do before I even did it. Not only that but she did something similar to your clones; real solid ones."

"It...simply sounds as if you battled against an Abnormal, Sakura-san." Maguro flicked some of his long hair out of his face, mulling over the kunoichi's information. "Out here that is not as rare as one might think. The location you described yesterday is curious though, considering that establishment was once used to try and gain further insight into abnormalities by studying those who possessed them. The ruins may currently be used as a hideout or home of some sort. Your entrance could have been seen as intruding upon privacy...and many Abnormals do not follow the same sort of upstanding ethical code you see in Specials or Normals."

"You weren't hurt were you? Maguro-san said that there are some Abnormals out there who have powers that don't follow logic, and are difficult to combat or defend against."

Sakura looked between her temporary host and Sai before shaking her head. "No, that wasn't it. She copied herself like Naruto used to do all the time when we were younger and he tried to overwhelm with numbers, but that's not what I'm focused on. It was the man who was also inside the hospital. I discovered him on accident after throwing some of the clones through a door; he simply sat there in some sort of study as though he was waiting for me. And then...I-I think I almost died."

"WHAT?!"

"Calm down, Naruto! I'm fine! Just a little tired!" the medic scolded at his sudden outburst, "He went to say something but before he could finish, I was saved by Hitomi-san. She sewed his lips shut and pulled me away, looking as if she just saw a ghost." Sakura threaded her fingers together after setting down her spoon, leaning forward onto the table before drifting off into her thoughts. "It had to be...the words in some way. I felt a hum and my strength began to wane in those few seconds. There was a dull throb in my temple too. I believe my heart skipped a beat as well but like I said, he was stopped before finishing whatever it was he tried to say. Trust me, I gave myself a checkup for any abnormalities in my body and my vitals seem fine. I'll get a second opinion back in Konoha though."

The blue-eyed male looked towards Maguro who, for the life of him, had no answer. "I'm not familiar with an abnormality capable of killing with speech but the probability of such a thing is still possible."

"It wasn't just the words. Remember, I felt some kind of hum, a deep buzz that nearly caused my teeth to rattle. It was some sort of sound-based response...possibly coupled with his intentions. Ever since we faced that team from Oto in the Chunin Exams I've spent plenty of time working towards counters and methods of challenging someone who can injure with sound waves alone. My ears were ringing as we left the hospital. My sense of balance was disrupted for a time and upon further inspection, the pain in my head was simultaneous with small muscular tremors surrounding the blood vessels in my temple. I don't have proper proof but I think...the attack was meant to sever important blood pathways in my skull. I would have bled out far before anyone could properly diagnose me and attempt to stem the flow."

Naruto's fingers curled inward and Sakura was forced to lay a hand on his arm just to keep him from jumping up and running off. "What did this man look like?" The eldest Kurokami asked quickly.

"Tall. Green hair. I'm sorry, but with the low light and my own tunnel vision from my fight against the woman I didn't get a good glimpse."

"No...it's better than nothing. At least now if we come across anyone like that we'll know to steer clear."

"Or take him down before he can say anything." Naruto muttered darkly.

"Are you still going to remain here?" the pinkette said as a hint of worry crept into her voice, "I know you can handle yourself but...well, no one would fault you for coming back with us to the village."

Naruto had his eyes closed in thought but by the time he opened them, his anger had simmered to a more tolerable level. "I'm staying. I still have a lot of vacation to piss away, and I'm not letting one idiot ruin it for me. There's a bunch of interesting people out here and I'd like to get to know them better anyways. Just let Baa-chan and Kakashi-sensei know I'll be here until further notice and if there's any change I'll send a toad."

"It's Hokage-sama now Naruto." Sai stood and moved over to the sink, smiling as he felt his friend's glare on his turned back. The jinchuriki was all for their teacher taking the spot after Tsunade but that didn't mean he liked having it rubbed in his face.

"And I'll be the one after that!"

The petite Haruno sighed but felt a small grin take over her own lips as the atmosphere stopped feeling so tense. "I should have known you wouldn't be scared off by something like that. Just be careful, you idiot. It's bad enough Sasuke-kun had to go off on a 'journey to find himself'. Now you'll be living out here where someone can sever an artery with just a word. I'm going to have to learn Shishou's genjutsu just to keep all the grey out of my hair." She finished up by running her fingers through the short rosy locks, attempting to make herself more presentable with the actions.

Neither boy commented. Both Naruto and Sai didn't feel like getting punched through a wall because there was no right observation to be said. Clearing his throat as the purplenette across from him smirked at the cowardice, Naruto asked a lingering question he had since it turned up yesterday on the doorstep.

"So...uh, who was the girl you were walking and talking with? The one you said saved you from that guy?"

"Hitomi-san? She's really nice. And far older than she looks."

"That was Hitoyoshi-kun's mother, Naruto-san. She's actually forty-two and a former neurosurgeon."

You could have heard the wheels spinning inside the powerful blond's head as he tried to process that. He winced suddenly and made a face as something became clear. Barring of course the fact Zenkichi's dad must have been a hopeless lolicon. "Oh wow...how the hell did she have a baby?"

"Like anyone else?"

"Well no crap! Wow it must have hurt like crazy! I mean, it must have nearly split her in-"

Sakura's fist met Naruto's cheek, blasting him out the wall, through the next few, and out into the pouring rain. Like hell she or anyone else needed to hear him go on about a woman with an unfortunate child-like body giving birth! His crassness struck again, and the fool was lucky enough he was only morbidly curious about it and not anything more or else she would've put a bit more chakra behind the blow. Steam hissed from her nostrils as she stalked towards the new entryways to scream at him for being so utterly tactless and gross, while Sai merely continued cleaning his dishes and Maguro stared at the unwanted additions to his building. Naruto might have dodged the first trap their female teammate laid out but it was his own actions that made him create and then blunder into the second.

By the time she finished her righteous scolding and dragged the ninja back inside, the three would be off. But that meant there would still be property damage, of which was currently allowing the stormy elements inside. However...at least Naruto now had the means towards quickly and efficiently fixing up all the damage to the wooden structures with little hassle. Medaka's brother could throw up a tarp or something and let Naruto collect his scattered thoughts on the travels to and from this so-called 'gate between places'.

When Naruto used his newly awakened Mokuton to fix the place, Maguro would rather he have a clear head instead of one rattled by a short-tempered gal (who was technically in the right for hitting him, although she could have just covered his mouth instead or found a less violent method of silence. Alas, that seemed to be their thing). Even with this perfect chakra control the Uzumaki oddity claimed to have, it still took some concentration to achieve the results he hoped for.

Maguro didn't want any more trees exploding from his house, thank you very much.

* * *

**Yup. Got this one done. It was nearly there and I've been meaning to finish it...so here it is. Some new developments, and a leap forward with the story. Still a bit canon but that's going to start changing...especially if what I have in mind actually starts up next chapter.**

**Some more new faces next time, and old ones. And should I put up a story about story ideas I have but don't exactly feel like creating a full one (at least not yet)? I know others have, and I have a bunch of short things I've typed up when I was blocked on these.**

**Anyways, hope you liked the chapter.**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: See first chapter.

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Chapter 6:

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By the time Friday came around, Naruto was beginning to grow bored. Compared to the beautiful weather of the prior weekend...it had done nothing but rain on and off since. Whenever Maguro brought up how he could just go out and do something instead of whining about it, the blond automatically felt a nagging feeling in the back of his mind saying that there wasn't much point. This was where all the action was happening anyways and he'd already gone out and toured the country once.

Maybe he could go find where Zenkichi lived and bug him, or return to Urushi's place and see if she would cook some more?

...

...

...nah. Not today.

So what did he get up to instead? Cause damage within the forest, and then fix said damage by way of his amateur Mokuton. Perfect chakra control and understanding made it a whole lot easier though, and it was kind of fun creating different kinds of plants in his own little garden. A canopy of tightly packed leaves kept any rainfall on his person to a minimum while outside. Sometimes Maguro joined him, asking questions about chakra and these strange capabilities the non-Abnormal possessed. Other times it was a 'classmate' who wondered what the hell was causing the woods around Ghost Babel to fluctuate constantly.

A few of the times it was somebody from a 'Public Morals Committee' but he never let those people actually catch him. The trees were technically a part of the campus. Even with the elder Shiranui's backing, they did not back down when someone broke school rules. Unauthorized defacing of school property would bring the entirety of the club down on his head but the enforcers couldn't actually take action unless they found him in the act.

So naturally the prankster continuously led them on wild goose chases.

Supposedly the head PMC was ready to go on a rampage. It made the blond grin even more.

Nekomi was the one to first break the news in her ever cynical voice. The green-haired martial artist was the one who visited the most, usually asking him to make something impressive while he was at it. Naruto's natural competitiveness easily had him sculpting objects out of malleable wood. Like a physically accurate statue of herself, which she took pictures of before he inevitably made it vanish so as not to implicate her with the Public Morals Committee. But that was fine. Add that to the fact Medaka was interested in him for some (as of yet) unexplained reason, and Nabeshima found something else to brag about the next time the two women met up.

On that note the red-eyed beauty was mysteriously absent during that time. Naruto believed it had to do with how Maguro was in the general vicinity, and that the ninja never strayed too far from Ghost Babel if he didn't have to. Ironically it gave him a reprieve from her attempts at wooing him to the side of education. The younger Kurokami hadn't tried anything since Sunday, but the Uzumaki was adamant the moment he walked in today to speak to her about his prize she would pounce.

Steeling himself for the inevitable encounter, Naruto opened the door to the Student Council room with a disarming grin and a wave. "Hey Medaka-chan, you in…here…?"

Shinobi-enhanced vision merely saw Kikaijima straddling an incredibly flustered Zenkichi with one hand pushing against the brunette's shoulder while the other covered her mouth. Mogana was fighting against his strength, wiggling and trying to break free. He'd have guessed the blond was trying to force himself on the swimmer but their positions and Hitoyoshi's incredibly troubled face begged to differ.

Hearing the squeak of the hinges and the ninja's raspy voice caused both Student Council members to pause and turn towards the disturbance; Kikaijima's face was a vibrant red whereas the General Affairs clerk looked like an angel had descended from heaven to answer his prayers. "Naruto! Oh thank god! Get her off me!"

"Err…okay?"

Walking over Naruto ignored the girl's frantic struggles and heavily shaking of her head, looping his limbs underneath her armpits and easily lifting the pretty female off Zenkichi's lap. The boy scrambled to his feet as Kikaijima seemed to deflate in his hold and pout while her attempts at escape ceased to be. She now wore a uniform similar to Medaka's, although she wore navy socks, glasses, and a jacket that didn't expose her bust.

"Now I'll never find out if the president's way works…" she lamented sadly as the jinchuriki let her go. The blond in the school outfit breathed a sigh of relief, even as he stared strangely at the ponytailed beauty curling in on herself in doubt. Shaking out his rumpled jacket Hitoyoshi's voice came out a bit rougher than he meant it to be.

"Even so, there's better ways of making friends than kissing them. And you're forgetting the real reason behind Medaka-chan kissing you back at the pool."

The girl in glasses ducked her head as it all clicked for Naruto. "Wait, are you trying to do what Medaka did?" he asked, blushing lightly while remembering the unexpected embrace from the climax of the swim meet. That and there were a few discarded photographs under the desks easily showcasing said moment frozen in time for all to remember. Oh wow, that was a good close up. Naruto had no doubt Shiranui was the culprit of Mogana's embarrassment; he'd seen the girl skipping away from the StuCo headquarters while he himself was walking in.

"According to Hitoyoshi-kun it…wait, are you wet?" The former swimmer was no stranger to the caress of water, and she only asked because it felt as though the undersides of her arms were now damp. It couldn't be though…because Uzumaki, who somehow had gained a school outfit despite not actually being a certified learner here at the academy, appeared perfect in appearance. No see-through clothes or drenched fabric. It was raining pretty hard which was another reason she asked, but all evidence begged to differ. Reaching out Kikaijima placed her petite hand against his stout chest only for violet orbs to widen in disbelief.

"I am, actually. Sorry about your jacket but it should dry in a little while."

"But, but- HOW!?"

"It's an illusion. Should this really surprise you after all me and my friends did at the swimming pool? I can change my appearance so I don't look out of place but I guess actual water doesn't completely disappear." Shaking his head a few drops popped into existence and hit the ground. But his hair was perfectly dry. The buxom brunette felt her mind spinning again at the very notion of his witchcraft, something she still had trouble processing from the day her club lost. Medaka was rather phenomenal and then Naruto had come out of nowhere and battled them all with his own team of prodigious people.

Naruto just seemed so normal until he started _doing things_.

So did that mean he made friends the same way Medaka did? Did it even work that way with all the extraordinary individuals?...or would it work in the reverse, where a simple human attempted to forge a bond with the abnormal one? The blond seemed so open and sociable with everyone he met though, and yet all these people knew the guy before Kikaijima came onto the scene and was inaugurated as the new Treasurer. She'd been late to the party long after Medaka, Zenkichi, Kouki, and Hansode were already introduced to the possibly crazy kid. It meant the athlete had no idea the specifics of their meetings. Plus she was more focused on how the kiss between herself and the President sort of jumpstarted the beginning of their friendship because it led up to Medaka recruiting her for the council. Lost in translation was the fact the lip lock originated from how the swimmer had no regards towards her own life in pursuit of money, and that the purplenette loved everybody far too much and used that means of a way to express that at least one person in the world would be devastated if Kikaijima rolled over and died so readily.

And so ignoring that…and Zenkichi's muttering about why Naruto didn't bring an umbrella or something...biting her thumbnail Mogana screwed up the same courage she forced upon Hitoyoshi only moments before as her pale cheeks lit up brilliantly with a bright flush. Perhaps it would work this time? She herself had no gripes with the shinobi, unlike her teammates, and the brunette recalled the way Sakura acted during their small conversation at the pool.

"I…see. You're really rather amazing too aren't you? "Naruto leaned back when her eyes turned a bit maniacal and she started to shout in his face. "Uzumaki-kun! I-I've…fallen for you too, so-so I'm now going to kiss you instead!"

Zenkichi facepalmed at how his fellow freshman was fixated on Medaka's _Proof of One's Worth #3: Overflowing Love_. His disgrace grew larger at how much his childhood friend corrupted their newest inductee, especially when instead of jumping Naruto like she did with him, she slapped her hands on either side of his head to keep that whiskered face locked in position so he couldn't escape. The worst part? Since the shinobi wasn't as intimately knowledgeable of the purplenette's trump cards…well, he couldn't react the same way the blond first-year would have. At the pool Naruto's team was busy with their own thing while the Student Council and swimmers were locked in combat. Or maybe he didn't actually want to get away. The brunette _was_ quite pretty. Zenkichi didn't know.

Naruto froze at her vigorous but still rather fake confession. It was nothing like Sakura's back in the Land of Iron or Hinata's during Pein's assault but Naruto still found himself with a slack jaw at how assertive she suddenly was towards himself though.

So when the red faced Kikaijima pressed herself up alongside his front and softly pushed her trembling lips against his, Naruto became so bug eyed Zenkichi was surprised he didn't violently explode out of shock. He looked like a red statue as the ample athlete continued to try and copy her newest female accomplice's ability of opening up to another, until finally the blond's hands rose mechanically and settled stiffly on her hips. The initiator of the kiss whimpered slightly due to her totally being out of her element before _finally_ both Naruto and Kikaijima's eyes closed (it was really creepy on Hitoyoshi's part having to bear witness to the uncomfortable sight, especially since both seemed too scared at first to blink) and the embrace turned more natural.

The General Affairs Manager slowly tugged on his tie and looked away uneasily as the moment stretched on.

Thankfully the swimmer broke the connection, eyes snapping open while her chin tilted down towards her breasts. Her whole body was quivering now when Kikaijima exhaled softly; thin fingers pulled away from the roughness of Naruto's cheeks to caress her own mouth. It…_the_ _kiss_ hadn't been as bad as she'd heard based off all the overly loud gossiping picked up from her classmate's snarky conversations. It hadn't really been that good either…but towards the end the boy finally stopped imitating a fish and tried matching Mogana's enthusiasm. In spite of the mortification fueling her body at being so bold, the brunette felt a giggle bubble up from within her chest. She didn't feel anything besides embarrassment and yet her actions had been quite assertive.

That was improvement right? While the bespectacled teen didn't have Kurokami's dramatic personality to facilitate such changes, she'd altered the dynamic between herself and another hopefully for the better. That was much better than she'd hoped; making a fool of herself had been at the forefront of the student's mind but luckily there hadn't been any other embarrassing slipups.

Naruto was just so happy that he could override his disturbingly soul-rending first kiss with _this_ one, with a true and actual woman. That terrible event in his past was now banished forever and instead replaced with the chaste taste of Kikaijima Mogana. He'd have been her friend regardless- people were always so difficult with this sort of thing- but Naruto's upbringing and its lack of support while young was most likely the main component towards his outlook on platonic relationships.

If you treated him nicely then guess what? You're his newest buddy.

"Ah…wow." the biju-container said simply as the girl pulled away and turned around quickly.

Rubbing his neck out of habit, blues eyes caught sight the other left male left on the sidelines peeking through his fingers with a frazzled expression. Zenkichi looked on with a frightening amount of deadpan as his fellow blond/crazy intruder and fellow council member/crazy woman recovered from their miniature make-out session. He had no problem if they decided to start kissing, no problem at all, but at least do the deed somewhere else when he wasn't present. Especially since the normal human was forced to fend off the very same female only moments before…even though Kikaijima was merely trying to make friends through a very questionable method.

Would it even help now to explain again what the process was meant to actually do?

"Are you two done yet?" Zenkichi said, exasperated. Naruto couldn't stop from coughing into his fist as Mogana nodded furiously, both teenagers still sporting a light blush before she peeked nervously through her bangs and thick lashes at the one standing at her side. She eventually brushed her sweaty palms against new wet spot on her jacket caused by the Konoha native's still drenched body.

"Um…do you, ah…feel any closer to me? L-like…you know…"

The boy with sunny spikes regarded the brown-haired freshman quietly before giving a half shrug with his shoulders. "I'm not sure. I mean, we did just kiss though. Is that how it worked between you and Medaka-chan?...if you want friends then it'd probably be easier and less embarrassing by just getting to know them better first."

Kikaijima laughed softly before nodding in agreement. "Yes, I don't think I'll be attempting that again. But at least…my first kiss wasn't regrettable."

"If you really want, I'll be your friend. I don't have any problem with that. It doesn't have to be such a big problem trying to win someone over when all you have to do is ask." Naruto grinned as the former Swim Club member's face lit up in surprise.

"Just like that? Is it always so simple for you Uzumaki-kun?"

"Well…kinda? Compared to what normally seems to happen I'll take a kiss from a girl any day."

Zenkichi couldn't stop himself from asking out of morbid curiosity. "And what exactly did you do before?"

"Usually they'd all start off as either enemies or people that didn't like me, and I'd have to prove their opinions about me were wrong. Typically by us beating the crap out of each other." Naruto stopped to cup his chin as a thought struck him, ignoring the dumbstruck looks his StuCo companions were sending him. "But after that we'd have a greater understanding …or something. Sasuke said something similar to that during our first major fight at the valley…huh. Maybe Medaka isn't actually as far off as I first thought then.

No retorts were given as the buxom girl in question and her handsome blond-haired companion chose that very moment to throw open the office door and stroll inside. Medaka and Kouki paused at the sight of a contemplative Naruto, an astonished Mogana with damp splotches on her top and slightly swollen lips, and last but not least Zenkichi whose face had dropped into his hands with a massive sigh. To think, if Naruto had never shown up, these two would have likely walked in on the very same sight the shinobi had only a few minutes ago. The ponytailed Treasurer had him pinned rather well and, while he hated to admit it, their positioning hadn't been in his favor. No telling how well _that_ little confrontation would have gone down.

"Oh. Uzumaki the Second Year. I've been expecting your arrival," the purplenette greeted with a light smirk, spreading her folding fan and lightly fanning her face. Medaka moved inside and stepped up to the strangely quiet blond; her mouth widened just a little bit more as she once again asked the simple inquiry she'd come to associate with the wayward visitor. "But since you're here anyways I feel that I must ask. Will you finally enroll in Hakoniwa?"

"Hmm? Oh, Medaka. You know it's not going to work."

The girl's mood turned introspective as she snapped closed the papery object clenched between her thing fingers and tapped its tip against her ample cleavage. She expected as much. Her intelligent orbs drifted shut before popping open in an energetic fervor, ignoring his main reason for visiting. "Of course. But you cannot deny your education forever. I will do everything in my power to make you see the light. Second-year Uzumaki, you will join us and reform your truant ways!"

"Just keep telling yourself that."

"My, you really are a stubborn one." Medaka's lips pouted before immediately discarding her displeasure and returning to the cocky woman everyone knew. "But at least the taste of victory will be that much sweeter, knowing I was able to change even the most mulish of persons."

Was there any way Naruto could tell the busty freshman and have it stick in her consciousness that he literally was not the academic type? Saying it flat out apparently didn't work. She almost seemed…fixated on changing Naruto for the better. Maybe the knuckle bump trick learned from Bee might be the answer…or would it be difficult due to Medaka being so 'super'? The ability allowed the users to touch each other's hearts and inner subconscious but his supposed target was incredibly peculiar. Grrr, this was-

Naruto slapped his currently naked forehead with a calloused hand. Idiot. There was a way...maybe. They'd literally been harping on it since the toad summoner first walked in and found Zenkichi and Mogana embroiled in a dubious arrangement. But then again he was barely aware of how it all truly worked...but that never stopped the jinchuriki before. Whether or not there was truly a way to do something, he would never give up. Snapping his fingers Naruto spun and shoved one of them right into her face, making the President go cross-eyed to see the tip. "Medaka. You love everyone right?"

The beauty didn't even take a second to think as she returned her sight to his face. "Of course. There is no one on this planet who is not worthy of my love."

"So that means you love me, right?"

"Yes," she stated resolutely, without a second thought.

"Then that means I can make you understand what's in my heart by doing this! Using whatever it was that you used on Mogana at the pool!"

Her _Proof of One's Worth #3_ spread Medaka's insurmountable love to the recipient; after said kiss she would then swoop in and make nice with the target who was already off guard by the sudden declaration. And always for the better. So technically Kikaijima probably wasn't that far off by saying it helped Medaka earn companions although it was still a dubious method. It was more like pure manipulation because Medaka would tug at their weakness with her empathy, but because of who she was her actions were not _truly_ for personal gain. The striking woman lived to serve others. She'd already said as much. Through that, she worked to bring happiness and contentment to those she helped.

Not a one was ever hurt by a mere kiss...mostly.

But Naruto might have stumbled upon and discovered the fine and intricate workings of her skill by trying to compare it to what he already knew. With its similarity to things from the warrior's past, he believed it allowed the possessor, Kurokami, to open up the beneficiary's heart in those fleeting moments and permit the purplenette a better understanding of her target. A rudimentary fist bump, perhaps. By using that train of thought, then by exploiting it on Naruto it _should_ finally convince the woman he wasn't here for schooling. He hoped. She was just as obstinate as the blond was.

Which was why the member of the Uzumaki clan took the initiative and copied Kikaijima by grasping the Student Council leader's snowy cheeks, lightly thumbing her lower lip on accident as she momentarily faltered at Naruto's audacity, and laid one on her.

Three onlookers gasped as Naruto started kissing Medaka. Even the girl herself was taken aback, scarlet irises having a hard time focusing on the situation and the guy dominating her vision while connected to her mouth. _She_ was always the kisser. Not the kissee. This had never happened before. No one ever…had the guts, or whatever, to be the initiator of such an intimate response. Perhaps because Medaka had the reputation of being the bane of everyone's lips from their elementary school? Had Zenkichi not curbed her enthusiasm, the gorgeous gal would have continued stealing kisses until who knows when? Oh boy, thank the stars he'd stopped his friend from doing that. Who knows what kinds of perverted or disturbing requests they would have gotten in the suggestion box had her reputation been stained as 'loose' or 'easy'? It was a school full of adolescents and attractive teens after all, with one who proclaimed she was willing to do _anything_. They were quite lucky everything had been tame so far.

Honestly though, Medaka may have lost her kiss virginity a long time ago but the long-haired student always wondered what it would be like to be on the submissive side and have someone else instigate the smooch.

So when Naruto finally stopped meshing their lips together and leaned away, the girl who could defy everyone's expectations looked -in that very moment- like a perfectly normal teenage female for once. Her face was dusted a light pink, her hands were clenched in front of her protruding breasts, and her knees were pushed together for support as if she'd fall over at any moment. Then it passed in a heartbeat as Medaka straightened and tapped a trim fingernail against her mouth in reflection. The purplenette's smirk returned as quickly as it vanished, before she shrugged noncommittally and simply sat at her desk.

"As I suspected, _being_ kissed is just as stimulating. Thank you for assisting me with finding the answer to my assumption, Second-year Uzumaki." Kikaijima and Hitoyoshi both couldn't stop the uneasy shudder in their shoulders with how natural Medaka sounded over such a strange subject...once again. Akune's teeth ground together forcefully with the way this outsider had commandeered his angel's lips, as if he was privy to them! Should Medaka-san ever decide to grace another with her wonderful kisses then it was her decision to make. But for Naruto to steal one away for himself…

He was as despicable as Hitoyoshi!

"And?" the ninja stressed, still trying to come to terms with and ignore how enjoyable their kiss had actually been. Medaka didn't remain idle either, even through her surprise. She did have a lot of practice apparently. After the initial shock, despite the mock weakness her body conveyed, the female had immediately latched on and...yeah.

"Nothing has changed my mind. I saw as you expected me to. However, yours is a mind and heart cognizant of the positives of learning. Your friend Sakura-san already explained as much. If anything your attempt at persuading me backfired and I now possess absolutely zero doubts about my decision."

But…okay. It didn't work as Naruto expected. Of course he loved learning! About _ninjutsu _and _techniques _and things that weren't _boring_. "Gah! You didn't search hard enough then! I only like it when the subject interests me! Other than that I couldn't care less!" Throwing his arms up Naruto stomped towards the door and pushed past a somewhat less tense Akune, who only now took to glowering at the shorter blond with shorter hair. "Screw it! I'm going outside to punch something!"

"In the-"

**SLAM**

"-rain?" Kikaijima finished lamely, Naruto already out of sight and unable to hear her quiet inquiry.

"Now that you mention it my uniform is partially wet. I nearly forgot Second-year Uzumaki is able to alter his outer appearance at will." Medaka released a soft puff of air through her nostrils as she placed a hand against the exposed parts of her breasts, feeling the transference of rain drops between her skin and palm. "A truly handy little ability. Akune-kun, would you mind bringing me a towel?"

"Right away Medaka-san!"

Zenkichi blinked a few times before finding himself sighing yet again. Only Mogana's sudden intense squeak overshadowed his noise, as she stamped her foot and pouted with ballooning cheeks. "What's wrong?" he asked her in a tentative voice. The brunette just spun on her heel and leaned towards the blond aggressively.

"I forgot to charge Uzumaki-kun for taking my first kiss!"

Zenkichi's response of 'You started it though' was drowned out by Medaka's joyous call while she appeared at Kikaijima's side. "He kissed you as well? And it was your first? Oh, how was it? It's been so long since my own but I've never had another girl to compare the experience with!" she exclaimed and once again surprisingly reverted to that of a typical high school female, hands clapped together as she bent into the Treasurer's side.

"It...it was nice." Kikaijima said coyly before giggling again, noting once again in that very moment Kurokami Medaka appeared perfectly ordinary compared to the superhuman everyone knew.

"Hmmm...perhaps I should begin sharing the delight of first kisses again?" the busty purplenette queried aloud before she found her hair blown back from the voice of two combined voices.

"NO! BAD IDEA!" both Zenkichi and Akune shouted in tandem, teleporting in front of the freshman and clearly showing their negativity towards the idea. Blond number one, because of his worry over the whole 'illicit request' problem he thought of before as well as having to deal with Medaka's rampage. And blond number two because he couldn't stand the idea of his lovely goddess pressing her lips against people left and right.

The President's sigh was small before she placed her hands against her thin waist and returned to her desk, newly acquired towel in hand. "Oh very well. It would take time away from my duties anyhow..."

The male twosome both wilted in relief before glaring at each other out of the corner of their eye. Despite their reassurance, it was getting annoying how that damn Hitoyoshi/Akune kept copying the other.

An errant thought struck Zenkichi as the swimmer's words rang in his ears and he used it as an excuse to get away from Kouki. "Ah, wait a minute...speaking of money Naruto completely forgot about the reason he came here in the first place."

"Oooo! I'll take it then!~"

"Is that your way of volunteering to seek out and give Second-year Uzumaki his errant funds?" Medaka said with a teasing smirk. Kikaijima looked out the window and quickly shook her head while abruptly returning to the seat she vacated before Naruto first appeared and sat back down. Even if the rain was finally beginning to let up, the swimmer didn't feel like going out into such dismal weather in search of the fuming blond. She didn't want to somehow ruin their newly formed bond when it only just started, and all because he was currently in a bad mood.

He could wait a little bit longer to get his cash. It's not like something was going to happen to him, or anything.

* * *

With hands in his pockets, Naruto stomped his way back to the forest to screw around some more with the Wood Release. Maybe destroying a few effigies of Madara and Kaguya would lighten his mood. It wasn't that he was actually angry at Medaka, per se, but that conviction she held towards making something happen was...far too similar for comfort. No wonder people got annoyed with him all the time; he really was inflexible when his mind was set on something and Medaka matched it perfectly.

He'd cool off in a bit and then belatedly realize that he, Uzumaki Naruto, kissed two pretty girls in the span of a few minutes without getting beat up.

Take that, Sasuke. And Kiba. And Sai. And anyone else who questioned his (lackluster) charm with the ladies.

"So this is where you've been hiding. I would never have expected Ghost Babel, considering it's been said only one other person ever ventures out here."

Naruto tensed as an odd pressure bore down upon him from beyond the shadows, tickling at his senses like a less treacherous version of KI. Oddly enough there was no negativity to match. The rain clouds and light misting caused the area to appear darker than it should have, even if he was simply walking along the tree line edging Ghost Babel's property. Diverting his path into the woods with his senses open wide he immediately found the owner of the voice and the one making him uneasy by their existence alone. It was a girl around his age, standing up against a wet tree with a cell phone held loosely in her right hand. Bored eyes colored a light green flickered between Naruto's tense face and whatever was on the item's screen before she flipped it shut and slid the phone right in between her breasts.

Which naturally drew the boy's eye towards her outfit, or lack thereof.

The woman was dressed in nothing more than slip-on shoes and a pair of blue jean overalls with the legs rolled up to her knees and buttons sporadically pinned all over the fabric. It exposed her shoulders, arms, and shapely sides but luckily her chest was large and perky, straining up against the straps and front of the article of clothing to keep from showing anything important. A light blue bubble floated in front of her mouth, never popping or deflating even as she talked. Her hair was a dull pink, curly and windswept despite showing signs of being damp while falling down around her shoulders and neck. She was rather attractive, like a whole slew of the females around here, but her disinterested body language detracted from the whole experience.

Leisurely she strolled over to the boy up until she was standing toe to toe with the ninja who tensed at her strange aura; the heaviness wasn't literal but, like Maguro and Medaka it felt as though it was trying to metaphorically push him away through anxiety or make the blond submit to her presence. This pinkette must have been one of those Abnormals as well. None of them could even come close to the last few insanely powerful villains he'd faced though. Thanks to all his training Naruto could sense such subtle feelings, whereas other ordinary people would just have it wash over them and give them the willies. Looking him up and down the exhibitionist eventually inhaled (yet her gum stayed perfectly inflated) before slouching with her hands in her pockets.

"My name is Yunomae Otome, member of the Thirteen Party Plus Six and junior of Class 13, codename Free World…let's try to get along." A sledgehammer drilled into Naruto's face the moment the pinkette finished speaking and knocked him right off his feet. His body flipped end over end along the wet grass before coming to a stop as he dug him limbs into the sodden earth, skidding along and halting his momentum while allowing the boy to figure out what just happened.

Otome stood there with one hand extended in a fist. She punched him. She _punched_ _him_, and somehow it was so strong it actually caused the blond to lose his balance. There was a bit of pain throbbing throughout his face since, you know, a fist just impacted his cheek but anyone getting struck with a straight would be hurting after anyways. It wasn't even close to truly injuring Naruto though; after all he'd gone through over the years, Otome's punch was more surprising than anything else and he'd been tagged by far worse. The girl cocked her head to the side after his swift recovery and slowly withdrew her limb until she had set it back inside the pouch of her overalls.

"You didn't lose your head. That's impressive," she praised, though her voice remained completely bland behind her un-popped bubble, "I don't really care for Normals but I know something remarkable when I see it. Shiranui-san must have been wrong…"

"What was that?"

"It doesn't matter. I was given the first shot, so I better just end it now."

Naruto could feel Kurama's chakra healing the faintly damaged tissue and merely scowled. Oh it was on! It seems his wish to smack something was about to be granted since apparently he already made someone's shit list. She said Shiranui too, but which one? The old guy for some greater purpose? Or the shorty because she seemed to have a vindictive streak somewhere underneath all that fluff? Shaking his head and pulling his limbs from out of the holes he created to steady himself, the ninja bent his knees and leapt.

Otome didn't think a Normal could be so fast without something to heavily augment their speed.

Aiming for the gut Naruto threw out a hook to the busty bubblegum-chewer's midsection. Otome didn't care to move out of the way as his fist connected, before continuing to go straight through her with unnatural ease to burst out her back in a small shower of liquid. Blinking in shock, the boy looked at the hole he created underneath her breasts, feeling what felt like lukewarm water soaking his sleeve and hand instead of the gore one would expect after bestowing a mortal wound on another, not that he was actually trying to end her life. The jinchuriki _really_ had to hold back his strength and was merely trying to knock the wind out of the Abnormal, since their type were far sturdier than regular humans as the Uzumaki eventually learned from Maguro. But there was no blood, no viscera; her insides were a light blue color akin to her gum and at the most Otome merely stared down blandly at the point where the two were connected.

They knew how to make Mizu Bunshins out here? Or was this her abnormality?

Taking advantage of his pause an unyielding grip tangled itself in his hair and quickly slammed his face into the dirt, forming a small crater at the point of impact and ripping Naruto's arm free with a wet squelch. A knee pinned itself between the blond's shoulder blades, further pushing him down and making it harder to breathe. "You touched my boobs there. We aren't even dating. I'm so embarrassed."

Naruto grit his teeth in pain and anger as the attractive woman held him down with a strength that didn't seem like someone outside the Hidden Lands should own. He could have thrown her off at anytime but...he was quite deceitful, after all. "I barely grazed them. Of this was your response, I should've just grabbed a handful instead and took the same punishment."

"Oh ho? Cheeky. But just give up. It'll be easier for everyone." Otome's grip tightened and the shinobi heard the rustling of her jeans as her body shifted against his. This Uzumaki person 'struggled' as she forced his face deeper in the soil to asphyxiate him, and that was expected. The fear and pain of being unable to fill their lungs jump-started anyone's survival instincts. However…the pinkette was unable to see the bloody grin creep across the jinchuriki's features before he suddenly went slack in her arms far sooner than anticipated. She held him there for a full minute just to make sure he either kicked the bucket or…at least passed out. If he died, he died. But the nerds of Class 13 could probably find some use for him after she brought the boy in tied up like a trophy.

Yunomae was thrown back violently by something invisible striking her in the face with the force of a runaway truck as the blond bucked again. Hitting a tree with enough speed to uproot it halfway out of the soil, her spongy body cushioned the blow and allowed her to simply slide down the large trunk until her butt hit the ground with a small bounce. "Ow," she said lamely before realizing the boy was perfectly fine. He even cracked his neck with one hand massaging the skin, staring at her through whatever light the storm clouds allowed. Perhaps the unexpected hit (and the fact her ability _did not _kick in reflexively) caused the buxom girl to see things but for a moment there she thought his eyes were a different color. His hair was in the way now though and she couldn't get a decent look.

Slowly pushing off the broken bark and rising to her feet, Otome chewed on her gum and rubbed the slight scuff on her cheek, causing the ever present bubble covering her lips to waver. How did he hit her like that just by flailing about? Weird. The pinkette raised her arms as Naruto suddenly ran at her from his position although the action seemed phoned in; she hoped to catch his fist again and use her ability to trap him a second time. And this time she wouldn't give him any benefits. Within a few seconds her opponent was within the Abnormal's personal space with his arm cocked back and ready to throw. The punch hit her crossed limbs and in that moment Otome figured she had him this time…considering her ability was what she called an ultimate defense.

As skin met skin, her own flesh liquefied from the blunt force trauma which was suddenly akin to a truck wrapped in dynamite. Shaking the remains of water off his fist, the Sage of Six Path's yang-successor stopped to think about what he'd learned about his new enemy while the pastel goop that was once Yunomae Otome squirmed and wiggled before slowly reforming into a perfect reproduction of the beautiful pink-haired junior. She stretched out her back before sticking her hands back into the large pockets of her baggy work outfit although the action this time seemed a bit shaky.

The bubble hanging in front of her mouth looked just as pristine as it did before the battle began.

The female barely looked winded although her eyes had widened slightly out of...curiosity? Nervousness? "Well that was actually surprising. You keep touching me all over though, and so energetically. I may just fall in love if this goes on any longer."

"Shut up! How the hell do you do that!?"

"What, my **Liquid Type**? That's my abnormality." The girl gently ran a hand through her wavy locks, never one breaking her bored eyes from Naruto's bright but squinted ones. "It's what makes me better than everyone else in the world."

A light wind rustled the nearby leaves as the standoff continued, causing the Leaf nin's clothing to flutter in the breeze. With determination in his features Naruto pulled his hands together in the shape of a cross. Two puffs of smoke behind him appeared and vanished in an instant to reveal a pair of identical copies in their wake.

"I thought it might be your power but I wasn't actually sure. Thanks for telling me though," Naruto calmly supplied, a sharp contrast towards how the teen acted only moments before. His unexpected confidence caught her off guard. People didn't smile when they discovered their opponent was technically unbeatable. Nobody sane, at any rate...

Cocking an eyebrow, she watched the clones vanish into the brush. "Bunshin too? How exciting, especially since you didn't speed up at all to make the afterimages. So was I supposed to chase them or something thinking they were your real body?"

Nope because the fight was a sham. Naruto was only digging for information and now he felt like ending it. Had he truly been serious...well, Yunomae would never have even gotten a chance.

Twin memories of his clones meditating for the barest of moments in the tranquility of the woods entered the Uzumaki's mind simultaneously alongside the temporary rush of power associated with nature chakra, even the small amount collected for this very reason. Immediately his eyes changed yet again, now sporting bar-shaped pupils surrounded by gold and orange. The Abnormal jerked her chin upward for a better view, causing the large breasts restrained by her singlet's shoulder straps to bounce. So there hadn't been any delusions; he really did have some trick with his eyes.

"No," Naruto eventually answered regarding her curiosity. The breeze picked up and raked at Yunomae's exposed flesh when Naruto made to attack her yet again. Closing her emerald orbs Otome blew out a tired sigh at seeing the male attempt yet another useless hit on her person. This was getting old; he'd seen she couldn't be beaten through physical violence and yet the blond just wouldn't give up. It was getting rather pathetic…shouldn't a mere Normal have given up by now in the face of such overwhelming odds? Even if he had some skills unaccounted for like those clones, Otome still saw no reason to dodge.

Except the whiskered ninja hadn't actually rushed her. In fact, he strolled over to her and promptly tapped a bandaged finger against the trim belly hidden beneath the pinkette's overalls. "Kawazu Tataki (**Frog Strike**)," the male said simply before the green-eyed girl's entire form shuddered but remained whole.

Breath was ripped from her lungs as something foreign rippled through Otome's entire body, in spite of the sheer lack of effort the Uzumaki put into his hit. Why didn't her abnormality work? He hit her, very softly, but the response was akin to the first time she completely liquefied from one of his punches. So why did…it hurt so bad? She hadn't felt pain like this in so many years…Otome had completely forgotten what it was like to be injured. A single finger touching her body had the pinkette ready to fall over just from the shock of remembrance, if Naruto hadn't raised his other arm and flicked her in the forehead just to make sure.

The second-year went ass over teakettle through the fringe of the woods before striking the side of the old school building and halting her journey in a shower of broken lumber and exploding dust. Had she been a normal human, such a punishing blow would have likely killed or heavily crippled the high schooler. Hell, the 'hit' to her gut would have ruptured most organs between her pelvis and clavicles. But the mixture of both her superhuman physiology and the defensive **Liquid Type** passively diffused the damage just enough to keep Otome from suffering more than a broken bone or two, torn clothing, bruised organs, bleeding, and a harsh concussion. She had no time to ponder any of this though, immediately slipping into unconsciousness from pain overload amid the wet debris marking her unexpected defeat.

Powering down Naruto ran over to the girl and checked for a pulse on her dainty but dirtied neck. It was there, but merely weakened from the unforeseen damage. But that was the kicker about sage chakra...you never saw it coming.

On another note, he needed to learn more about the diversity of an Abnormal's skills. Could Medaka and Maguro do the same, or did they have powers of their own like Kekkei Genkai? It sure seemed kind of like a bloodline.

Ah...speak of the devil.

"Are you finished?" he eventually heard a masculine voice say, making him turn and look at the older man leaning up against the thick cement wall surrounding Ghost Babel with his arms crossed despite it dampening his shirt. Maguro finally decided to show his annoyingly handsome face, though right now it was screwed up with heavy thought in a marked examination of what was witnessed. "To beat a member of the Thirteen Party is no mean feat. And yet you did so without any real trouble. I don't recognize this one though…and by the way, you're fixing this as well."

The Uzumaki flinched in annoyance, scowling at the purple-haired man before he started to dig out the injured pinkette from her hole in the wall. Idly he noted her chewing bubble had finally popped, revealing pouty feminine lips ruined by the sight of blood dribbling down her chin. "Where's the nearest doctor? She needs help and I want to know why I was attacked."

"I'll take her. A hospital won't be enough to fix her up properly and she's going to need something better than a normal physician. How am I going to explain how she got like this without saying something like 'she stepped in front of a train'?" If Maguro was lucky a certain member of the Thirteen Party was still around, if he remembered the woman and her abnormality correctly. He'd heard plenty of rumors keeping his ear to the ground of the one who took over his old position. Walking over the eldest Kurokami gently picked up the limp woman, taking care not to exacerbate any injuries, before turning to leave.

"When you get back I've got some more questions for you too." The violet-haired man nodded before he began to walk away. Naruto didn't waste any time after that to wash his face and brush his teeth. As much as he liked nature and being outside, he sure didn't like the taste and feeling of soil tainting his palate from pretending he was at Yunomae's mercy. And perhaps a real change of clothes so he could get out of these wet fabrics.

It was maybe an hour later when Maguro finally returned, face grim from his visit to the Clock Tower as he dropped into the single chair placed within his 'Medaka Room'. The one he was looking for had indeed been staying down in the Flask Plan's underground bunker headquarters in spite of the late hour. Good thing they hadn't changed any of the security measures since his retirement from the organization…but then again they were set up to only allow the most abnormal of Abnormals entry into the inner lair. Why update the codes when there was no reason to worry? He now owed her an unspecified favor at some point in the future though. That Naze Youka…the purplenette needed a little more time but he had a small hunch of who that woman possibly was behind her disguise.

As if he knew of Maguro's return despite how vast the infrastructure was, Naruto soon popped in to join the Abnormal in his study with a set of warm, dry clothes over his body. Perhaps the blond had been watching from the window, heard him when he opened the door and walked inside. But whichever way it happened it stopped the guy from having to search for his roommate in the rather large (and currently damaged) building. "Ah good, you're here."

"How is she?" Naruto asked as soon as his foot was through the door.

"Yunomae-san will survive. As long as she rests, she'll be back on her feet in due time. Abnormals mend faster than your average human. You messed her up pretty good with whatever you did to her. It was more than just a few pokes, was it not? How did you injure Yunomae-san's **Liquid Type**?"

The warrior shrugged casually. "I used what's called sage mode and hit her with something incredibly hard to defend against. Even if she can turn into water to stop herself from getting hurt, senjutsu uses the power of nature itself and Otome could do something unnatural. I figured if hitting her properly didn't work, then filling her with my chakra to disrupt her ability might. I wasn't even sure if it'd work out but I was right…it messed up her abnormality and kept her from turning into water."

"Normally the space between an object's molecules decides its state of matter. The human body is solid and therefore its atoms are packed tightly together, unable to freely move about but still allowed to vibrate. The liquid state has more freedom to move but its molecules are still close enough together to possess an amorphous shape instead of one that is inherently stable. That's why pouring water in a glass causes it to take the shape of the container, but putting a rock in the same glass brings about no change. Based on what we saw of Yunomae-san's abnormality her body could alter its state of matter when struck. But interrupting the change before it could happen with an outside influence…it had a fifty-fifty chance of success."

"Errr…yeah." Naruto slowly nodded his head towards the other male, eyes squinted while pretending to understand all Maguro just detailed. He wasn't looking for a scientific explanation to expand on what the blond was aiming for. Sage mode was a spiritual form that let him do things like enhance the body to a crazy degree and even strike an enemy without making actual contact. Mixing and mastering three separate energies into a single power, one had to reach the pinnacle of inner peace to keep the chakras from losing their strict proportions and turning on the user, especially while in combat. Using anything above regular sage mode would have been super overkill. Not to say his base form wasn't powerful either, but if Otome could absorb or cushion attacks then he needed something to take that away from her.

Like usual, he merely followed his gut and got lucky.

...and the fact the man admitted he had watched from the sidelines without lending a hand. Bastard.

With his arms crossed over his chest, the eldest Kurokami ultimately shrugged before raising his limbs into the air by his sides; this had given him much to think about. Still…"It's ironic you found a flaw in an abnormality when they are naturally so overwhelming it's to the point their power overshadows any sort of weakness. That, or the skill is so specific in nature it has no faults. My own **Analysis** allows for instantaneous identification of a person's skills and current physical assessment. I don't mean to sound arrogant but it's not an abnormality stymied with many limitations."

"I could just beat you up though. There's your weakness."

"Yes…you could…if you want to start looking for another place to live."

"I was just kidding, sheesh." Of course he was…mostly. "But you did just answer one of my own questions. I was curious about what you could do. So that means it's different for everyone then?"

"Yes. I have yet to hear of any circumstances where more than one person has the same abnormality though." Maguro's hand was rubbing his chin though, as if the man himself was unsure of his own belief on the matter.

"...so what can Medaka-chan do?"

"Ah, now that is the million dollar question. What _can't_ she do? Her ability has yet to be named, but I have on good faith that it is an abnormality revolving around her being the best at anything she tries."

Naruto stared at the other teen. "Seriously?"

"Indeed."

Well that just wasn't fair. And yet the blond couldn't even be mad about it since the buxom gal didn't act high and mighty about it. Unlike _some_ people.

Naruto eventually left to go patch up the damage Otome's body had inflicted on the building. Any concrete at the location was broken but the wooden replacements were just as strong. It made the place look a little odd...but seriously, Ghost Babel had that going on way before the ninja ever walked onto campus.

Another thought struck Naruto as he walked back inside the former school building. "Hey Maguro, if you can see how strong a person is, what does it say about me?" he asked the Magician upon his re-entrance.

"Have you ever played an RPG, Naruto-san?"

"Nope. No idea what that is."

"It stands for role-playing game. But allow me to explain then, in terms someone unfamiliar with the genre can understand. In these games, all characters start out at level one and by gaining experience, can raise their level and grow stronger. Just like in real life, such as when someone has trained themselves to a point where they simply no longer get any better, an RPG has a limit to how much the characters grow. Level ninety-nine is usually the cap. There is no surpassing that." Maguro leaned forward in his chair, rubbing a strand of his hair between his fingers as he stared at the blond standing in the doorway. "But then I met you. I don't know how, but you're already at the max level...with the potential to keep rising."

To Maguro's complete surprise...or better yet perhaps he was expecting some sort of comment by the shinobi now that he'd gotten to know him better, Uzumaki Naruto grinned and looked highly pleased with himself. Nodding as he turned to leave, the jinchuriki of the Nine-tails left the Abnormal with words to ponder over for the rest of the night.

"Yeah...that sounds about right."

Two kisses _and_ more confirmation that he was bad ass? Hell yeah.

* * *

Deep beneath Hakoniwa's Clock Tower was a secret place: an entire multi-floored labyrinth that also doubled as self-sustaining living quarters. Not many could actually access such an industrialized and high-tech area though. The security system was the most advanced in the entire world. Only certain types of people, Abnormal types, could ever hope to descend its subterranean depths. And even then, only the most perfect of the super-humans had the personal prerequisites for entry.

Simply put, it was not something one could prepare for. You either were truly amazing enough to gain access, or you weren't.

Four floors down was the expansive medical lab. Each member of the Flask Plan usually hung around in certain areas, even though only six of the thirteen members actually spent any time in the hideout. Even a smaller fraction of that ever cared to stay in a room clearly designed for surgery and experimentation. Two, actually. The only females of the Thirteen Party Front Six to be exact.

Naze Youka and Koga Itami.

Naze stared down at the unconscious woman strapped to the metal cot, completely nude but swathed in bandages. How strange it had been for Kurokami Maguro of all people to return to his former headquarters, and with the beaten body of a Plus Six member in his arms. That had been three days ago now, and Yunomae Otome still had yet to awaken. The old Magician wasn't very forthcoming with information regarding why one of their own was in such a state but Naze had expected that. He was a dropout who quit such a marvelous position within the school; obviously the man no longer agreed with what the Flask Plan was aiming for.

Yet he still came to _her_, the one who took over his old position as supervisor.

Naturally she had to take advantage of the situation. Youka thrived in despair, and causing others to experience hell excited the stoic woman in more ways than one. It was even better when she herself was out through some sort of bleak and harsh existence. It gave the young woman a means to overcome the suffering, and push her intelligence and creativeness to new heights. Sadly this was not one of those times...but forcing Maguro to promise her one favor in exchange for Otome's healing had still been satisfying. He truly did not want to be in an unknown woman's debt, but that had been the price of her expertise.

The one red eye visible behind all the bandages wrapped around her head flicked up with no change in emotion, before turning to the brunette in revealing red that just walked into room _upside down on the ceiling._"Naze-chan!" Koga called out, dropping from above and landing perfectly like a professional gymnast, "How's Yunomae doing?"

"I believe she'll wake up soon," the short but curvy student drawled.

"I wonder who could have possibly done this to her..." Because anyone who could take out a Flask Plan member had to be some sort of beast. The Plus Six were actually considered to be a bit stronger than the rest of the Thirteen Party too. But any way you looked at it, the doctrine for the plan would have to be followed. They would be gaining a new student in their midst once they figured out who defeated the water girl. Koga suddenly stiffened and bopped herself on top of the head, "Ah, right! We're needed on B7! Some sort of Thirteen Party business of something!"

Naze nodded once before beginning her trek lower into the labs. Without the black cloak she sometimes wore, the girl looked like a regular school girl with a buxom figure and a white Hakoniwa uniform. However, even then she had on a dark black skintight suit beneath the outfit which kept any hint of skin from showing. Add in the mummified face and combat knife protruding from her forehead...and yeah, there was something definitely odd about the girl.

A sudden weight settled atop Youka's choppy purple spikes as her best friend jumped up and started balancing. Thanks to the pretty brunette's perfect bodily control though, she was able to disperse the stress across both their forms allowing the smaller girl to walk without difficulty.

This was how they appeared to the other gathered members of the Flask Plan, waiting into an area that looked like a large living room. There was the blue-haired assassin Munakata Kei, sitting calmly on the couch while polishing a handgun. Takachiho Shigusa stood at the other end of the seat leaning on its arm rest, flashing his ever present grin and surprisingly wearing his lab coat over the kickboxing ensemble he favored. The smallest of them all stood silently off to the side; Yukuhashi Mizou remained like a statue behind its mask and those baggy clothes.

And then there was Mr. King himself, Miyakonojou Oudo. The self-proclaimed leader of the entire world was in the middle of the room with his arms crossed, ignoring them all. Even the unfamiliar female kneeling before him did not warrant his interest. Her actions were weird...but it was nothing new to Oudo. All would bow in his presence because he **ruled** **all**. There was no other course of action to take.

The blond with up-swept hair eventually inhaled resignedly before speaking in an airy, arrogant tone. "You may now rise, and explain why you have bothered me this day."

Hirado Royal felt the intense pressure keeping her prostrate before her senpai lift, no longer forcing her down upon her knees. He said one word the moment she was brought to this place and suddenly lost all control of herself as gravity increased threefold. So this...this was what it meant to be in the Thirteen Party.

She gulped. The freshman was in a den of dragons while she was a mere lizard. But Hirado was here to get what she was due. "I-I'm here because of the headmaster. You are aware of the strange blond kid on campus, yeah- OF COURSE YOU ARE! Why wouldn't you be!?" she corrected quickly as Oudo suddenly glared at her, "Um...both Shiranuis are interested in him and his capabilities, and asked that I use my abnormality to keep him around for as long as possible."

"And what, pray tell, is your skill?" Naze cut in. She was a researcher after all. Royal's blindfolded gaze peered in her direction before shrugging.

"It's called **False Labeling**. If I look into someone's eyes with my own, I can implant hypnotic suggestions that they think are their own idea without fail. I have to keep them hidden though or else just a glance can put someone under my hold." Feeling emboldened at how she'd upheld her end of the deal, the pigtailed first-year clenched a fist and smiled unflinchingly. "If I did this, I'd have a straight shot at joining the Flask Plan! The younger Shiranui even spoke with her grandfather about my efforts! All I had left to do was speak with you all and that was it!"

She was so excited! This was the reason all the Abnormals enrolled in this school in the first place! To get their chance at changing the entire world! The only way in to the Thirteen Party was to either defeat one of the members, or be lucky enough to be appointed as a backup or even full-time member!

"Are you sure whatever you did worked?" Koga asked, even as she continued to handstand off her friend.

"Of course! Shiranui said he barely leaves school grounds anymore, holing up most of the time in Ghost Babel! No one can deny me when I use **False Labeling**!"

"She's a bit energetic, ain't she?" Takachiho muttered while Yukuhashi's soft giggles echoed from behind its mask mask.

"So I'm in then, right? I did everything that was asked of me! I'm ready and willing to put my all into the success of the Flask Plan!"

Five Abnormals shared a glance. The last simply blinked once before unfolding his arms, "Mmm...no," Miyakonojou said glibly with a small shake of his head, "Your ability is barely similar to my own. A slight like that against me that cannot go unpunished."

He spoke it so casually but there was something in his words that instantly terrorized the hopeful freshman. His aura changed and Hirado felt the intense wave of animosity burning off the older man's figure, all aimed at her. Muscles tensed as Hirado took a step back in primal fear. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Who cared if their powers were sort of the same? Did he- no! NO! This, this wasn't fair! She wouldn't let anyone take this from her! NO ONE!

The moment she jumped away and her hands grabbed the fabric across her face, Oudo said one word:

"**KNEEL.**"

Hirado Royal's body hit the ground so hard in its haste to comply that the thick concrete floor shattered beneath her. She couldn't move, and could barely breathe as each bone in her body creaked, and every blood vessel was stressed by the huge weight paralyzing her. Tears began to gather at the edge of her hidden eyes, footsteps being the only indicator that someone was moving closer and closer until they stopped behind her stooped form. There was a sudden crackle of electricity in the air and the greenette prayed for some sort of miracle to get her out of this situation. Things would be wholly different if she made it out of here unharmed.

Because if she did, she was going to rip apart a certain blue-haired midget and absolutely destroy her in every way, shape, and form.

If she could see what was going on, Royal would have witnessed the man with the moniker of Create straighten his arm into a stiff spear hand. "No one turns their back to their king, but I will only let it slide this once. No one can say I am not merciful...after all your pain would be worse if I had to pierce through your rib cage."

Oudo then shoved his arm straight through Hirado's back. Intense golden light streamed from the ragged wound as the young woman convulsed violently, arcs of lightning exploding across her body as the third-year did something none of the others had ever seen before. And then it was done. The girl fell limply to the floor as the blond withdrew his bloodstained limb, and he paid her no more mind. Had she never been dragged into the scheme, it was probable that Royal would have continued being hale and healthy. But the meeting with the senior had been the biggest mistake of her life.

Miyakonojou Oudo began to laugh as he felt his very being acclimatize to the foreign feeling, while his own red eyes lost a bit of their luster and faded to a duller shade. No one else in his world was allowed to have a power which forced another to follow orders that were not _his_. He would not allow it to be so.

With the new power of **False Labeling **and his own **Weighted** **Words**, Oudo had now twice the strength to enforce his decrees. His first proper use of the hidden skill **Unreasonable Taxation** had gone off without a hitch as well. And if any other abnormality attempted to dethrone him again, well...he would prove why they were mere servants in the presence of their king.

* * *

**So holy crap people. I mean, geez. Was it really so bad I brought in Sakura and Sai for a bit appearance? I got PM complaints about their visit like crazy.**

**Their significance was just to give Naruto a team of three. That was it****. Even though this is a mixed crossover world, it's mainly the Medaka-verse.**

**Anyways, uh...so look at that. Some more stuff happened. Intrigue. Fighting. Learning. Backstabbing (literally). And the reappearance of those characters Naruto met when he first went to Hakama's office.**

**Man...Naze is my favorite Medaka Box character so I'm happy to bring her in.**

**Read, review, etc. **


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